The Evolution of UFC Fight Gear Over The Years

The UFC is an MMA promotion that has now been operating for 3 decades. In the humble beginnings, it was quite literally style vs style. You could expect to see a Karate practitioner go up against a wrestler, to see who is the greatest fighter. They would also wear their traditional martial arts apparel.

MMA has now evolved, it has become its own discipline with a recognized style of fighting. Furthermore, the fightwear of the fighter has evolved too. No longer would you expect to see a Karate Gi in the cage. So let’s dive in to see how the apparel has changed over the years.

UFC gear revolution

UFC Shorts

As MMA evolved, so did the rules and regulations around fighter attire in the UFC. In 2002, UFC implemented stricter measures regarding the clothing worn by fighters in the Octagon due to concerns over the safety of fighters.

This led to a transition from no-holds-barred bouts with loose clothing such as Vale Tudo shorts, tights, and grappling gi pants to regulated fights with fighters donning tighter-fitting shorts or board shorts that offered more protection and support for the fighters.

Over the years, the UFC has multiple changes in the shorts worn by fighters. Initially, fighters were allowed to wear any branded shorts they wanted with their own sponsorships. However, the UFC then proceeded to bring on brands to make fighter shorts. The UFC has partnered with Reebok and Venum over the years. Right now, the promotion is in a contract with Venum to make their shorts.

UFC Gloves

For fans new to the UFC, gloves might just seem like a part of the attire, like a football player’s helmet. However, much like the football helmet, they were not always a part of an athlete’s protective gear in the sport.

When the UFC started the gloves were not a norm. However, more fighters started wearing gloves inside the Octagon, but they would not be mandated. It was UFC 14 that was the first card in the promotion that required combatants to wear the fingerless mixed martial arts gloves that we know today.

Interestingly, other than the addition of the UFC logo and some minor tweaks, the gloves would remain largely unchanged for more than two decades. However, they were largely redesigned this year.

The new gloves, designed by Dyaco have a slew of new features. The most obvious is the introduction of colored gloves: gold for championship bouts, sky blue for Dana White’s Contender Series, black for non-championship and The Ultimate Fighter, and red for Road to UFC fights. The improvements made are not just visual.

The new gloves have fewer seams, intended to reduce the number of cuts that occur as a result of the exposed seams on the older gloves. The overall weight of the gloves has also been reduced by roughly one to one and a half ounces in the new gloves. Possibly the most important improvement is the additional flexibility in the fingers of the gloves which was intended to decrease eye pokes.

However, the gloves were not as successful, and the promotion had to shift back to the previous gloves ahead of UFC 309.

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Conclusion

That said, it is safe to say that the attire worn by the fighters plays a vital role. From shorts to gloves, both have experienced various changes over the years. Modern gear is vital to protect the fighters in a sport as cruel as MMA.