Alright, let’s talk about MMA gloves and this whole ‘oz’ thing. When I first started looking into getting gear for MMA training, I saw gloves listed with different weights, like 4 oz or 7 oz. Honestly, I was a bit confused at first.
Coming from a bit of boxing background way back, I thought oz meant padding like in boxing gloves, you know? Where 16 oz is for sparring and 10 oz or 12 oz might be for bag work. So I figured, okay, maybe the heavier oz MMA gloves are for sparring too?
My First Steps
I went online first, just browsing around. Saw tons of options. The standard seemed to be these 4 oz gloves. They looked pretty minimal, like the ones you see fighters wear in actual competition. Then there were these bigger, puffier ones, often labeled 7 oz or sometimes 6 oz, called ‘training’ or ‘sparring’ gloves.
I decided to just jump in. I needed something to start hitting pads and maybe do some light drills. So, I went ahead and ordered a pair of 4 oz gloves. Seemed like the basic choice, right?
Using the 4 oz Gloves
When they arrived, I tried them on. Felt snug, fingers were free, which was cool for grappling transitions they talked about in class.
- Hitting the pads: Felt pretty good, could really feel the impact.
- Light partner drills (focus mitts): Also okay, speed felt great.
- Anything close to sparring: Absolutely not. Felt like there was almost no padding over the knuckles. Good for competition maybe, but for training partners? Seemed risky.
Trying Heavier Gloves
After a few sessions, especially watching others spar, I realized those 4 oz gloves weren’t going to cut it for actual sparring practice. My coach also mentioned needing proper sparring gloves. So, back to shopping I went.
This time, I specifically looked for the heavier ones. Found a pair of 7 oz MMA sparring gloves. They looked noticeably bulkier, more padding over the knuckles, but still had the open palm and finger design, just a bit more restricted than the 4 oz ones.
Got those, tried them out. Big difference. Hitting the bag felt a bit more cushioned, less sharp impact. For sparring, it felt much safer. My partners seemed happier too. You still need control, obviously, they aren’t big boxing pillows, but way better than the 4 oz for back-and-forth action.
What I Learned
So, my practical experience boiled down to this:
4 oz gloves are really for competition or maybe some specific types of pad work where you want that minimal feel. Not great for regular sparring unless you’re going super light and technical, and even then, maybe not ideal.
7 oz gloves (or similar weight ‘sparring’ MMA gloves) are what you want for actual MMA sparring. They offer more protection for both you and your training partner while still allowing for grappling attempts. They’re a bit bulkier, yeah, but necessary for safety in training.
It wasn’t as complicated as I first thought, but definitely different from boxing glove weights. You basically need to know what you’ll be doing. For me, having both types ended up being useful, but if I could only pick one for general training including sparring, it would have to be the 7 oz ones.
