bare knuckle vs mma gloves

Bare Knuckle vs MMA Gloves: What’s Better for You?

People who are getting into combat sports such as martial arts need to start investing in essential equipment in order to get their hands on punching gloves to begin training. After all, they are important equipment in combat sports. However, you can also fight with bare knuckles or get a pair of wrist wraps that covers your hand partially. In this article, we are going to discuss both bare knuckle fighting as well as fighting with MMA gloves. Let’s get started to know fighting style is effective for you.

Bare Knuckle Fighting

Bare-knuckle fighting is also known as prizefighting, fist fighting, or fist cuffing. It is a type of boxing in which the fighters do not use boxing gloves or any other hand cushioning. In most cases, a boxer hits the heavy bag while using hand wraps and gloves. However, there are some advantages to punching the bag with bare knuckles. The first and most important benefit of bare knuckle fighting is that it can toughen your skin while also strengthening your hands’ bones, muscles, and connective tissue. 

MMA Gloves

MMA stands for mixed martial arts. MMA gloves, also known as grappling gloves, are small, open-fingered gloves that are used in mixed martial arts competitions. They typically feature 4–6 ounces of cushioning and are intended to provide some safety to the wearer while leaving the fingers free for grappling moves like clinch combat and submissions.

Punching with MMA Gloves

Mixed martial artist (MMA) fighters must be quick and light, therefore a thick glove will throw them off. In addition to punches, MMA athletes employ their feet, elbows, and knees. MMA includes grappling-based martial arts, which needs fighters’ grasping abilities. These gloves, therefore, take on their style from fingerless gloves. With their fingers lost, fighters are able to use both grappling as well as striking strategies while having just enough protection for the hand and wrist. Such gloves have lesser padding relative to normal boxing gloves. The purpose of providing more space for finger and hand movements justifies the reduced amount of padding. 

Difference between Bare Knuckle and MMA gloves

The main difference between bare-knuckle boxing and MMA gloves is the hand coverage. There is no hand coverage in bare-knuckle. However, MMA combat gloves have a big enough interior to accommodate hand coverings and thus, do not need any wraps. These gloves offer a greater velocity. Whereas when you find bare knuckles, your hands have the utmost freedom of movement but the least protection. 

What hurts more? Bare Knuckle or MMA Gloves?

MMA boxing gloves are basically fingerless gloves. They can be considered as a perfect median between normal boxing gloves and bare knuckles/fists. Therefore, these gloves hurt lesser than fighting bare knuckles and more than normal gloves. In comparison to fighting bare knuckles, they also provide a better technique and form for your punches and grapples. Besides, MMA gloves allow you to punch more consistently and with a higher power. Because MMA gloves have less cushioning than boxing gloves, the knuckles will take the brunt of the punishment. This is why you can only throw a limited number of punches on bare knuckles or even with MMA gloves. 

Would MMA fighting be safer on bare knuckles?

No, the whole idea behind any kind of hand wrap or gloves is to provide protection to your hand. Fighting bare-knuckles offers you the least amount of protection, hardly any!

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