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MMA Gear Review: Sprawl Board Shorts

There aren’t too many fighters nowadays who step inside the octagon or ring wearing trunks. Today, most of our favorite mixed martial artists’ gear is composed of the black or blue gloves, tape and of course, board shorts. The current UFC light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin, and the former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Serra are among the fighters sponsored by Sprawl. Others include veterans Ricardo Almeida, Josh Burkman, Kenny Florian, Josh Koscheck, Jason McDonald, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Mike “Quick” Swick, and others.

MMA gear: Sprawl board shorts

Sprawl is an mma gear company that is among the more popular brand among fans of the sport. (This is likely due to the popularity of the sponsored fighters.) The usual board shorts have been used for the sport due to them generally being lightweight and having a smooth texture, no buttons and no zippers (the presence of which will give partners abrasions and/or cuts). Sprawl has improved on this design by adding features such as material made of 100% nylon and no pockets for grips or snagging. Velcro and tie closures are located to the side so these do not press into one’s belly during no gi bjj or mma training. Seems are reinforced for durability during training too. Crotch area is made higher for splits and high kicks. In addition there are no-slip grips on the inner thighs for armbars, shoulderlocks or general guard play. Let’s not forget that Sprawl shorts are also comfortable. The shorts neither soak up sweat, cling or hike up one’s legs.

To get a good buy, make sure to get the right size by either fitting your mma gear or using the available size charts. This will be good advise to take up since Sprawl shorts have no drawstrings for tightening the waist. Prices range from US $34.50 to 56.50 according to the official website.

MMA Gear Review: Titlemma Heavy Bag

Heavy bags are ever present in all types of gyms rather they are just your regular health clubs, or gyms that specialize in striking.  They provide an incredible workout for fitness enthusiasts, and of course provide sport specific training for people training in any striking disciplines.  Mixed martial arts fighters need a variety of punching bags in the gym, since they also incorporate leg kicks in their fights and training.  This is why seeing a muay thai banana bag in mma gyms is very common.  A muay thai banana bag is usually about 6’ in height and weigh anywhere between 100-120lbs.  Because of its length the banana is very versatile, because you able to incorporate kicks into your training.  One of those bags that stood out for this author was the titlemma heavy bag.

It’s just the same as a traditional muay thai banana bag; 6’ in length and it weighs 100lbs.  This bag has been around the gym for a while now and it still standing the test of time.  The bag seems to be a little bit thicker than your traditional banana bag.  The bag is made from tri-layered synthetic leather, and it’s not showing any signs of cracking that you might get from items made of synthetic leather. It is also foam filled and has a fiber resistance fiber filling, which keeps the shape of the bag, but it is also soft enough not to cause the user any unnecessary harm. It comes with a chain, and a d-ring on the bottom to fasten down to keep it from swaying, but it is not necessary to use.  This bag drew interest from this author because there are times when you are unable to get to the gym, or need some extra work. I needed to find a bag for home use.  The canvas bag limited my home training. 

I decided to go with the titlemma heavy bag for my home use after looking around with other companies this bag fit my budget for home equipment. To my surprise when checking the titlemma website the exact bag was on sale for $99.99!! The shipping is $40.  I unfortunately bought the bag when it wasn’t on sale. But still at regular price was a good option for this author.

MMA Gear Review: Nike Pro Max Rashguard

Now rashguards are not definitely not legal gear of mixed martial arts competition in the octagon (i.e. United States athletic commissions). However rolling on the mats shirtless is unhygienic. The mats may be dirty for one. Your partner may not appreciate touching a sweaty body for the duration of practice. Worst of all, skin diseases, particularly Staph infections, may be easily transmitted via skin-to-skin contact that will happen in training, without the proper mma gear, that is. Rashguards as the term suggests, protects one from skin conditions. The tightness of the design simulates mma competition by having no grips available, like that with the gi. In addition, no gi submission wrestling competitions allow the use of rashguards.

Nike Pro Max is not marketed under mma gear as a rashguard for bjj and submission wrestling training but it should be.

T-Shirts are of course, more easily available alternatives to rashguards, but they have a tendency to get wet and hinder movement. A partner’s feet and hands may also get caught in a T-shirt’s looser openings.

There are many brands of rashguards available from merchants catering to both the surfing and martial arts community. However, to expand one’s options, there are other products outside the martial arts circles that can be used as mma gear.

One example of “other” rashguards is the Nike Pro Max compression shirt (short sleeved). These tops are made for use during baseball, football, futbol or cycling. Upon seeing one online, this reviewer finds that it resembles the rashguards used for mma gear in all aspects except in name. I bought it for an amount between 30 to 40 dollars and tried it out at the gym. Sweat wicks off the rashguard-lookalike quite well. It was as cool and unobstrusive as other rashguards I use as mma gear or submission wrestling outfits. This is just as good as other rashguards I have tried or perhaps even better. It is also quite durable withstanding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training a few days a week. This may be good deal for some who have only know of mma gear from more familiar brands associated with the UFC or the BJJ Mundials. It may also be worthwhile to note that Nike is an internationally known sports brand not just in the martial arts community.

MMA Gear Review: Fairtex Extra

Fairtex is a name that is synonymous with muay thai here in the United States.  It is the most popular brand of muay thai equipment in all of North America, and is recognized all over the world.  Its equipment can be seen in gyms all over the world.  Fairtex also sponsors a number of mixed martial arts fighters, and of course a number of muay thai fighters.  Fairtex has also got into the apparel market, but when you think of the company Fairtex, training equipment is the first thing that comes to mind.

Since coming to America in 1993 Fairtex provided trainers, fighters, and just the regular joe, another alternative for good quality training equipment.  There are some other good quality muay thai equipment that come from Thailand, but no other company has the history or has made the effort to bring muay thai to the United States.  Fairtex is present at my current gym and the muay thai pads that are always in use are the Fairtex extra thick thai kick pads.  From my understanding they have been in use for past couple of years and still look like they are in great shape.  All the thai pads from Fairtex are handmade in Thailand, these have a leather shell and 4 layers of foam for better protection.  The extra thickness has made a difference for me, especially when holding the pads for guys that have tree trunks for legs. 

The Velcro straps provide a little bit more comfort than the belt and buckle straps.  The Velcro also makes it easier to switch back and forth between you and your partner, making a quicker exchange.  There are still some other good quality muay thai equipment from other companies out there.  Some are a little cheaper as well. But Fairtex is a trusted company and should be considered when thinking about buying muay thai training equipment if you have the extra money.

MMA Gear Review: Ouano MMA Gloves

Ouano International gloves are currently the official mixed martial arts gear of World Extreme Cagefighting or the WEC as well as Elite Xtreme Combat. Many months ago, this product was also the official mma gloves of the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC. However, Century, being a bigger business, has taken over the provision of mma gloves for the leading mma organization in North America. There are many opinions available online about Century martial arts products but let us focus on the mma gear from Ouano in this review.

mma gear: ouano mma gloves

According to the official website: Ouano mma gear has been “Battle tested by the best fighters in the World.” The gloves have “Cut fingers, completely open palm. Wider velcro wrist strap for extra support. Sleeves have been added to all the fingertips as well as the open palm area. Lightweight; approximately 4 oz. per glove. ” An additional detail is the lack of a thumb strap, making wearing and removing the gear a bit easier. This feature can also help or hinder one’s grips during sparring or competition depending on how one is accustomed to grappling while wearing gloves. One more thing, at a very light 4 ounces, these are not ideal for sparring sessions. You will hurt your knuckles during padwork and can easily damage your partner’s face with these mma gloves. There is little padding for those activities. Use this type of mma gear only for actual competitions. Ouano or other brand of bag gloves should be used for mma/ striking training.

Well of course, the gloves are battle tested. It was and is the official mma gear for several mma organizations. The high quality and comfortable light feel of the gloves are definite reasons for their widespread use in competition. No questions there. The only negative aspect of the gear is their price tag. It’s US $60 a pair from the official Ouano International site. Although with a price that high, there will be less aspiring mma practitioners who opt to use these gloves in sparring.

MMA Gear Review:Shock Doctor Compression Shorts

Protection is the key when participating in any contact sport.  Nothing can derail an athlete like a hit below the belt no matter what sport it is.  We have all seen the biggest and baddest men in sports crumble down to their knees by a well place or should I say, a missed placed blow?  Some of us have been in that situational when a sparring partner slips and you end up getting a shot below the belt, I know this author has.  Luckily for us, the male population, the cup has offered some protection during such unfortunate situations. 

Throughout the years the cup has gone through some major changes, but this author believe the best evolution of the old jock strap and cup has been made by Shock Doctor. A company that first started off making mouthpieces, has now has gone on to become a sports protection company.  Even though they have been around for a while now, this author, who was still stuck with the old jock strap and regular cup, has recently purchased the Shock Doctor compression shorts with cup.

I bought mine at a local sporting goods store, and they are also available through Shock Doctor’s direct website as well.  One of the first things that I noticed was that the compressions shorts are made with a wicking material that wicks away moisture.  The first time I put them on it took a little bit to get used, as I have never worn any compression shorts before.  But it took me about half a workout to get used to them.  I immediately notice the extra feel of mobility I was getting.

Some great additional features I noticed were the flatlock seams and the x-fit wraparound cup retention system.  Which basically means, seams are sewn into the front on the shorts and a pouch is put inside the short to keep the cup in place.  Which is great because sometimes the cup will move around when training. A bioFlex cup is included which to me I didn’t see a difference between that and any other cup. Another feature that I struggled with, but should not deter anyone from buying it was that at times it became a little difficult to insert the cup into the pouch.  This was due to the gel padding around the actual cup.  But it’s not that big of a deal.  I’ve had mine for about 3 months now, and there has not been any fraying or any tearing. Which should good news for the grappler

Shock Doctor has put out a great quality product. The compression shorts provide a feel of great mobility and comfort.

MMA Gear Review: Contract Killer MMA shorts

Contract Killer attracts many eyes and ears to its products; products meant to be worn as state athletic commissioned-sanctioned gear for mixed martial arts competition. As one can see from the photo below, it does draw one’s interest easily:

mma gear: Contract Killer fight shorts

Now that definitely draws interest. Which this review will get to later on. This pair of mma shorts is one of those that have stretch material on the lower side of the thighs and the crotch. Such a feature is supposed to add some flexibility to one’s mma gear. The Contract Killer mma shorts sure do that. Nothing bad I can say when it comes to comfort during actual mma or submission wrestling sparring. However, upon wearing or removing the shorts there is a little bit of a flaw with this mma gear. The Contract Killer logo is sewn on both sides of the shorts on the front. This means that upon opening the fly, the shorts do not loosen up as much for wearing because the logo still completes a circle high up the waist area that the wearer’s hips have to go through.

Now let us proceed to the image conveyed by Contract Killer mma gear. The brand itself rubs some people off the wrong way. Practitioners of mixed martial arts, submission wrestling, jiu-jitsu, muay thai and other styles would probably prefer to show that their respective arts are sporting. Although the arts can be deadly, there is no killing in them for sport competition. Competitors, unless sponsored, are unlikely to wear mma gear that shows them as contract killers or hitmen rather than sportsmen.

The design of the shorts in the photo also comes in black. Either a white or black background will accentuate the bloody design on this mma gear. Open, bloody wounds are of course, a possibility in the octagon or the ring. But these shorts seem to encourage the bloodier side of the sport rather than the technical aspects of mma. It seems this type of mma gear would be a better fit for the earlier UFC events when only a handful showed technique and most fights turned into bloody messes from headbutts, a move now illegal in most mma competitions.

“What does Contract Killer encourage?” is a question one should contemplate.At least Tap Out encourages submission and Sprawl a technical move.

Contract Killer fight gear just seems to move away from the current direction of the sport. Instead this mma gear appears to want Senator John McCain to have something to complain about once again: bloody spectacles instead of a display of martial arts. If you want something loud, eyecatching and sends an “I am violent! You will bleed on my shorts if you fight me.” message to your partner, opponent or stranger on the street, then Contract Killer is the kind of mma gear that will suit you. The shorts themselves though are comfortable with a slight flaw.

Oh and Contract Killer mma gear is not without controversy.

MMA Gear Review: Stagr T-shirts

Stagr is a company that is growing in popularity with mixed martial arts fans.  As some very recognizable fighters are wearing their t-shirts for example, Miguel Torres, WEC bantamweight champion, and TUF season 5 winner Nate Diaz.  Stagr clothing can also be seen being worn by athletes outside of the mma world, as the Stagr logo can be seen at sporting that fall under the “extreme” category of sports.  The color theme for the majority Stagr t-shirts is black and yellow, with their ever-present mascot on their t-shirts “el skel.” Which is a caricature of a skeleton with either sweat or a tear coming from his head, which its self is up for debate.

Stagr also has a variety of other clothing apparel to choose from. It looks like they are also diving into the fight short business as well. As Nick Diaz worn a pair of their shorts against KJ Noons.

But really makes Stagr is their t-shirts.  They are slim fitting and made of 100% cotton.  They do have a variety designs and colors to choose from. The designs vary from a very simple design like seen below:

To very artistic designs, to this author they have a very west coast feeling to their desings

They also have what they call artist tee serious with some of their designs being a complete departure from the usual Stagr color schemes and themes.  These Stagr t-shirts can be worn when going out some friends or to the gym for a good workout.  The slim fit is perfect when training, as you don’t have extra material getting in the way when working out.  You might be met with a “stay aggressive” when your out as I have a couple of times, as Stagr is short for the companies motto.  You can purchase Stagr shirts and their other clothing items directly from their website or through other websites that specialize in mma gear.