UFC, or the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is one of the world’s most popular fighting competitions. It is fought by 700 fighters and is followed by millions of fans worldwide.
When mixed martial art students train for this championship, their foremost concern is their fighting gear.
Among these gears, glove selection, type, and weight are the most crucial part, as a perfect glove is almost necessary to win.
So, what ounce gloves do UFC fighters wear? There are around five different types of MMA gloves, and each has a varying size and weight.
In UFC, fighting or competition gloves are used, which weigh around 4-6 ounces, depending on the comfortability of the fighter.
Let’s dig in more to see why these gloves are heavy and why does glove weight matter in UFC matches.
What are UFC gloves?
UFC gloves are mixed martial art gloves that are made especially for fighting competitions.
These are lightly padded gloves with open fingers and palm that allows the fighter to move his hands while grabbing, grappling, striking or jabbing.
The internationally accepted standard weight for these gloves for amateurs is 6 ounces because they require more padding than professionals who wear 4-ounce lightly-padded gloves.
Which type of UFC gloves does the fighter wear?
UFC fighters wear martial arts competition gloves, the lightest weighted glove. Other training gloves like sparring and heavy bag training gloves weigh between 10-16 ounces.
This heavy padding weight is mandatory for safety during training and practice. The UFC commission generally approves competition gloves.
These gloves have separate finger compartments as the fingers have to be highly dexterous during a match. MMA, unlike boxing, requires quick, strenuous, and close-contact hits and grappling.
These gloves have Velcro straps to tie the glove accurately to the wrist and have covered padding knuckles so the hand stays safe.
Larger sizes of gloves like XL-2 and 4 have heavier allowable weights due to their sizes.
Why does weight of gloves matters in UFC matches?
In the case of most combat sports, the glove’s weight matters more than its size. In fact, In MMA, the gloves are bought according to their weight with much less focus on their look.
The weight of the glove is basically due to its layer of padding that is used to protect the hand.
The weight of gloves is a significant scale. Because the glove weight does not only provide support but can affect efficiency and rapidity of attack.
Heavy gloves somewhat restrain movement and reduce the impact. It is exactly why heavy gloves are used in practices and are avoided in UFC.
The weight of the UFC glove is set to 4-6 ounces because this weight can incorporate padding and has space for the fighter to fit in hand wraps.
Conclusion
So, what ounce gloves do UFC fighters wear? Well, the internationally accepted weight of gloves is 4-6 ounces, but it can be more for larger-sized gloves.
So, it’s safe to say that It depends on the size of hands and the fighter’s level of expertise.
