Bet you didn’t know that! The story behind the MMA gloves
What is the first thing you recall while thinking about the mixed martial arts beginnings? Yes, the apparent lack of gear and protection!
The main reason the sport was portrayed as barbaric and primitive is because of the severe bleedings, nasty cuts and groin strikes which were literally painful to watch! No media house wanted to get involved with the sport on these terms and MMA needed to develop an innovative solution that will make it more disciplined and suitable to watch, fast!
The MMA gloves were an instant game-changer in every way. Intrigued by their past, we’ve done deep research about their interesting origins and most recent studies which had provided us with very interesting facts.
There are various possible sources of the original idea. It may sound weird, but if you recall the movie “Enter The Dragon (1973)”, you may remember the first-ever mixed martial artist, Bruce Lee wearing strange gloves.
Although they were similar to regular winter gloves, this broken-knuckle kempo looking gloves were smaller than boxing 8 oz and the space for the fingers was suitable for grappling, clinching and wrestling.
Considering the popularity of the movie and Bruce Lee as an actor, it’s reasonable to believe the creators got their first idea in the movie theater.
The other theory suggests that the MMA gloves originally came from the full contact karate developed in the late 1960s. The great Masutatsu Oyama pioneered this sport through Kyokushin karate. Traditionally, the fighters didn’t have any protection in the early beginnings, but during the evolution of the sport, some forms of Okinawan karate like Bogu Kumite (literally armored sparring), started developing and using Kempo styled gloves.
Even though the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) represents the synonym for MMA rules and fighting gear, sorry to disappoint you, they weren’t first! The 4–6 oz fingerless gloves were the first mandatory in a popular Japanese Shooto promotion in 1989. The design was perfect at that time, but it clearly favored the fighters with striking skills and was in some parts identical as a boxing glove.
During the early 1990s, all the gear that UFC fighters had, was the representation of their backgrounds. The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu legend, Royce Grace famously fought in the gi, some fighters wore shoes and different shorts.
Furthermore, we saw a couple of bizarre ideas like Art Jimmerson wearing a one boxing glove against Royce Gracie. The UFC desperately needed a solution!
The most astonishing fact is that while the Company remained silent, the fighters deliberately started wearing MMA gloves on their own. The first one to do it, or at least try, was Felix Mitchell at UFC 3. However, the referee John “Big” McCarthy controversially stopped him in his intentions, asking him to leave the gloves outside the cage. The fighter who finally introduced the MMA gloves on the big screens was the former professional boxer, Melton Browen at UFC 4. The gloves remained a fighter’s option up until the official regulation in 1997 at UFC 14.
Considering that UFC gloves could equally deliver in every aspect of the fight, the design was a revolutionary solution.
The research conducted on University of Waterloo compared the performances between MMA and boxing gloves (Read the full study here), and the results are very interesting.
The “Spine Biomechanics Laboratory” found out that 4 oz MMA glove is capable of generating 4–5 greater peak force and up to 5 times load rate compared to the boxing gloves. How could MMA be safer than boxing you may ask?
Well, researchers at the University of Alberta’s Sather Sports Medicine Clinic revealed that MMA fighters sustain more injuries compared to boxing, but are less likely to sustain long-term injuries. As said by the author of the study, Dr. Shelby Karpman:
“You’re more likely to get injured if you’re participating in mixed martial arts, but the injury severity is less overall than boxing. Most of the blood you see in mixed martial arts is from bloody noses or facial cuts; it doesn’t tend to be as severe but looks a lot worse than it actually is.” [Source]
Although MMA gloves have seen constant improvements and developments over the years, they are not ideal! The main issues are constant eye pokes which could due to the open fingers, severely damage the eye and force the fight to be stopped. The recent situation between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens is the perfect example.
Considering the chaotic beginnings, we could be satisfied with what we’ve got. Gloves just triggered many changes such as introductions of weight divisions and cooperation with Athletic Commissions which helped the sport becoming safer and competition more equal. The history showed us that small changes could lead to much bigger. Our sport is still young, and we’re more than excited to see what the future will bring us!
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