Mouthguards for MMA

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.

Fit is the main choice, because the guard has to stay put: an MMA training article on mouthguard maker OPRO's site says it needs to stay in through heavy breathing and wrestling scrambles. Boil-and-bite guards are softened in hot water and moulded to your teeth, while self-fit guards such as OPRO's are heated and then shaped with the maker's own impression tray. If you wear braces, look for an explicit statement from the maker: Shock Doctor, for example, states that its Nano Double is not compatible with braces.

For a bout, check your event's rules on the guard itself. IMMAF's January 2021 amateur rules make athletes responsible for sourcing their own non-branded mouthguard (section 15). UWW's amateur MMA rules say mouthguards cannot be red and require a spare (Article 1.3), and IMMAF's non-controlling 2026 summary of its adult rules also says a red guard is not permitted.