MMA
Research-based guidance on MMA training kit - what each piece is for, how the main designs differ, and which options suit the way you train.
The catalogue
Equipment categories
Every MMA category we research, with what it covers and how many products we've assessed.
Fight-style 4oz, hybrid and sparring gloves.
4 products researched
Sleeve and hybrid shin guards for kicking and sparring.
3 products researched
Long- and short-sleeve tops for grappling and no-gi training.
4 products researched
Board-style and hybrid-cut fight shorts for striking and grappling.
3 products researched
4 products researched
2 products researched
1 product researched
Guided journeys
Where to start
Pick the journey that sounds most like you - each one leads with the kit that matters first.
Starting MMA classes
Check your gym's kit list first - requirements vary. Beginner lists from UK gyms and specialist retailers typically start with a mouthguard, MMA sparring gloves, shin guards and groin protection, plus shorts and a rash guard to train in.
Start with
Striking and sparring
For regular sparring, a padded 7-8oz MMA sparring glove is the usual recommendation - small 4oz fight-style gloves are not designed for it. Strap-on shin guards give the most coverage for kicking; sleeve and hybrid designs stay in place better when the exchange goes to the ground.
Start with
Grappling and no-gi
A fitted rash guard and shorts without exposed pockets or zips are the base kit for wrestling and no-gi rounds.
Start with
Equipment guide
Protective equipment
The protective kit to add alongside your MMA gloves and shin guards.
Mouthguards
You need a mouthguard for every session you spar, and in MMA it has to stay in place through scrambles as well as strikes. IMMAF's amateur rules and the ABC's professional rules also require one in competition.
Groin Protection
For MMA, look for a cup: cup-style protectors suit kicking and grappling better than larger no-foul protectors, which restrict both. Men must wear one in competition under IMMAF's and UWW's amateur rules and the ABC's professional rules.
Hand Wraps
Traditional or thin Mexican-style wraps go under your MMA gloves. Slip-on gel wraps can be too bulky to fit inside a small MMA glove.
Reading
MMA guides
Longer, research-based reading on choosing and using the kit.
Guide
MMA kit for your first classes
For your first MMA classes, start with a mouthguard, hand wraps and a pair of MMA gloves, plus a rash guard and shorts to train in. Add shin guards and groin protection when your coach starts you sparring. This guide explains each piece, what can wait, and how the kit amateur MMA rules require in competition differs from what gyms ask for in training.
Updated 22 October 2026