MMA gloves, also called grappling gloves, are special, open-handed gloves used in MMA competitions. The gloves are small, have open fingers and usually about 4 to 6 oz (ounces) of padding on the upper side to protect the hands of the fighters.

Historically, open-handed gloves in modern combat sports are relatively new. They were first obligatory in Japan during the 1980s, when that country’s Shooto promotion made the fighters wear them. They were later adopted by the UFC, the world’s largest MMA promotor, and have since become a standard in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).