Fight Glove Primer

Mixed Martial Arts was born in Brazil, where it was called Vale Tudo (Brazilian Portuguese for "Anything Goes"). There were only three rules (no biting, not hair pulling, no fish hooking) and no gloves. The first appearance of a glove in the UFC was a boxing glove on the left hand of Heavyweight prizefighter Art Jimmerson, in his bout against Royce Gracie. That didn't work out so well for him.

The second appearance of a glove in the UFC was on street fighter Tank Abbott, who noted correctly ” I like to hit people. I’ve actually been in a fight so I know that your hands get hurt.” He wore Harbinger Speed Bag gloves. From that modest improvisation, the MMA fight glove was born.

The Harbingers had to be modified extensively to reach their present form. Stitching had to be made internal, unnecessary leather had to be removed from a number of areas including the palm and thumb, the palm bar had to be removed, and more. What is left is a minimal instrument, offering protection from cuts, and some protection of the hand.

These gloves are often referred to as Grappling Gloves. This is a poor choice of words, created by an early manufacturer with little knowledge of the game - by definition, the sport of Grappling does not allow strikes. The correct terminology is MMA Fight Glove. They come in a variety of styles - with a thumb strap, a thumb and palm strap, a fully covered thumb, a covered palm, and a fully open palm. Most common by far is the fully open palm and thumb, allowing the freest use of Grappling and wrestling techniques.

The orginal Harbinger bag glove style is still available from many manufacturer. DO NOT buy these, unless you intend to spend a huge amount of time hitting the speed bag. The palm bar and several other features disqualify them for use in MMA. Also, DO NOT spar hard in the gym with MMA fight gloves, as they do not offer enough protection. They are made for fighting, not training. Also DO NOT buy any glove that you are going to hit and be hit with, that is made out of an artificial material. The pleather can crack and cause cuts, and even brand new offers insufficient cut protection.

MMA uses four types of gloves (Training, Fight, Sparring, and Bag), and each has a function for which it is designed. There are also functions for which each glove is not designed. You do not hammer in a screw, and DO NOT use the wrong glove for the wrong type of training.

MMA is the world's toughest sport, and requires enormous devotion. We are all living in some of the toughest economic times in memory. Budgets are limited, so we developed the Underground Series, offering highest quality training gear at a discount over the fancier brands. These are tough gloves for tough times.