Differences Between MMA Gloves and Boxing Gloves


Those who are just now getting into fighting sports such as martial arts or any other combat sports and who are starting to buy the gear they need and are excited to take a swipe on some punching bags to start training they may be very excited about the prospect of buying some training gloves. They are an essential part of the training for these types of sports and having at least one or two reliable pairs of gloves is one of the first steps. However, as you start to look at all of the various options that are available for gloves, you will find that there are far more than you might have initially thought.

With all of those choices, it can be difficult to know which one you should choose. This is especially true if you weren’t aware that there are some major differences between MMA gloves and boxing gloves they have different core system etc.. For example, 10 oz. MMA gloves and 16 oz. boxing gloves are very different. They are designed for different sports entirely. Let’s take a closer look at these differences.

Engage Bushido Boxing Gloves Multi Layer Foam Padding
Engage Bushido MMA Sparring Grappling Gloves Multi Layer Foam Padding

The Padding

One of the first differences that you will see between the gloves is the padding. Boxing gloves tend to have quite a bit more padding on them, and some of them will weigh 16 oz. or more. This is because most of the time, someone who is a boxer will end up throwing and receiving far more punches during a competition than an MMA fighter. The MMA gloves don’t have as much padding, and they are lighter. Even though punches are certainly thrown in these matches, so are kicks, and grappling happens in just about every fight. The gloves for MMA fighters need to be able to accommodate that, as well, which you will see below.

Engage Bushido MMA Sparring Grappling Gloves - Finger Placement

The Fingers

This is another major difference between these types of gloves. The boxing gloves encompass the entire hand, and rather than being like typical gloves, they are more akin to mittens. All of the fingers are in the main padded area of the glove, while the thumb has its own separate space.

The MMA gloves are more like true gloves in this fashion. These gloves will keep the fingers separate, and they leave parts of the fingers exposed. The reason for this is the difference in the way that the matches proceed. In boxing, you are only going to be throwing punches. In MMA, you need to make sure that your hands are as dexterous as possible. They will be used for grabbing and grappling, so they need to have freedom of movement.

Isreal Adesanya training in MMA Grappling Gloves

What’s Right for You?

When you are shopping for your fighting gloves, the first thing you have to do is consider the type of training and competitions you will be doing. If you will be doing boxing exclusively, then boxing gloves are the way to go. Those who will be doing MMA need MMA gloves, simple as that. However, if you feel that you might end up training in both of these areas, you might want to consider getting a pair of each type of glove.

Read: What fight gear is needed for training

Many Other Differences to Consider

Of course, there are plenty of other things that you have to think about whenever you are buying gloves or any type of fight gear and fight wear. Make sure it is the right size, be sure that you are buying quality gear and make sure that you choose items that will be durable enough to stand up to your training. Once you know the types of gloves that you need, look at the features of various gloves that fit your needs and then choose the one that seems like the best choice.

Find What You Need at a Boxing or MMA Shop Online

If you want to have a nice selection of options for high-quality boxing gloves and MMA gloves, your best option is to shop online. The local stores might not have what you need, but you might still want to check them out to see what brands and sizes they have available. If they have quality brands like Engage, you might just find what you need. You can also check the online site for Engage to see their gloves and the other fight wear and fight gear that they have available.



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