Introduction
The fact that you're reading an MMA review means I probably don't need to introduce UFC to you. With the huge success of UFC and their aggressive promotions, UFC is almost synonymous to MMA (to some chagrin for other promotions). My interest in MMA was sparked by the UFC, so of course I have to own a piece of their merchandise!
Official Specs:
- The UFC Official Fight Glove
- The only glove tested and approved by the UFC and required in the Octagon for all UFC events
- Pre-curved fingers to reduce hand fatigue
- Open palm design for maximum dexterity
- Constructed from 100% genuine leather with fully adjustable wrist wrap for maximum support.
Note: The piece I'm reviewing is a slightly older model of the glove, and they have made some updates to the glove. However, to my knowledge, it remains mostly the same otherwise.
Aesthetics
This is a pair of UFC gloves worn by UFC fighters! What more do you need in the looks department??
Just kidding. It's black with the UFC logo printed on the padded area, and the 'Official Fight Glove' patch sewn on the velcro strap. I much prefer this black to the blue used by other promotions such as WEC and Dream. It's probably just me, but somehow black makes everything cooler.
The UFC logo on the will most likely wear off with use, mine has came off a little in certain areas with scratch marks.
Form & Fit
The smallest size for this is S, which is still a little big for my small hands. My knuckle circumference is roughly 21cm when forming a loose fist, and when I put on the glove, there's about half a finger space of wiggle room above my forefinger and below my little finger. That said, it doesn't actually shift during use because of the textured inner lining that helps to 'grip' a bit.
The gloves are quite comfortable, and the leather is pretty soft especially once it's broken in. The weight of the gloves feels a little more solid and compact than other gloves I've tried. I also like the open palm design despite trying some of the newer open palms with thumb loops. There's more freedom of movement here, and the material wraps around to cover a little inside of the palms. This prevents the gaping hole that appears below your little fingers when you form a closed fist in some of the open palm designs like Hayabusa.
The strap system is a simple long velcro strap that goes 1.5 rounds around the wrist. It doesn't hold the wrist that snug due to the single strap system and is a little loose probably due to being slightly oversized for me. Strangely, the opening of the glove is a little tight to squeeze my hand through, not sure if that has been changed.
Functionality
The padding on this glove is fairly thick and the older model I have does not taper at the fingers, making it a little more tight around the fingers. It also covers up a shorter length of my fingers, compared to the updated gloves.
Despite being an older model, I really love wearing this glove for sparring even though I have other newer, more advanced MMA gloves. Somehow old school just feels better. There's sufficient protection for both my knuckles and my partner's face when going light sparring.
Another thing I like about this gloves is that the strap doesn't get in the way during sparring. It ends at the bottom of the glove, reaching only midway into the loop patch. This is important to me because with smaller hands, the strap end almost always exceeds the loop patch on other MMA gloves.
When that happens, the strap is more likely to come undone by accidental friction or simply scratch my training partners with the exposed hooks on the strap. I'm surprised how this is still a problem with newer MMA gloves when the UFC design is fairly old.
Considering that I got this pair of gloves for our own backyard scraps before officially training any form of MMA, this glove has held up pretty well through the abuse rolling around in the mud and such. I have not used this for padwork though, and generally do not feel MMA gloves suitable for anything but light padwork focusing on speed and technique rather than power.
Affordability
The official UFC store sells this at US$ 54.95 (SGD$ 71) which is alright for a pair of bare bones MMA gloves. Shipping options are acceptable, so you can consider getting off the site instead of hunting around for retailers. Of course, if you're willing to do the legwork, you'll might find a decent deal on the eBay stores.
Conclusion
Great pair of gloves to own if you want to feel closer to the UFC and MMA scene. Nothing special in the bells and whistles department, just a bare bones MMA gloves for UFC fans.
Disclaimer
All comments in the review are my own personal opinion. Prices provided in brackets are merely for reference and are based on exchange rates at the time of writing.
If you like this review and found it helpful, please post a comment or let the company or retailer know too. Should you decide to purchase them online, you might want to consult the online buying guide for advice.
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