Choosing protective gear is one of the vital factors you need to consider before joining a risky sport like kickboxing. We are here to help you answer the hot topic on many of today’s forums about “Sparring Without Mouthguard ”. Let’s check it out for the answers!

Do You Need Mouthguards for Boxing?

Nowadays, there is common confusion about whether we ought to use mouthguards when sparring or not?

Let’s take an in-depth into the below content, explaining why we need to have a mouthguard during boxing matches.

Protect Your Body

Apparently, numbers of professional athletes recommend using mouthguards in boxing to prevent injuries. But how and how much will they protect you from injury? 

First of all, mouthguards are protective equipment for your jaw, teeth, face, and head. In most matches, rivals would try their best to attack you; and it is evitable that they will focus on hitting crucial parts of your body. Hence, your face definitely will be the first area that needs to be protected. 

The competitors are also going to bump or punch at your face with their full-throttle, which will possibly break your teeth, jaw, nose, or temple. Hence, wearing a mouthpiece can help to protect your teeth from bumping.

Similarly, a mouthguard can prevent you from accidentally biting your lips or tongues during sparring. You might also get head trauma or a concussion without a mouthpiece, although your competitor has an appropriate amount of soft padding boxing gloves. There is a truth that you might not know that concussion is one of the main factors that bring failure in your match.

Another advantage of wearing this equipment is the reduction in getting a jaw fracture.  Therefore, the mouthguard will be the best method to lower the chance of losing your teeth.

Boost Your Confidence

Boxing is a kind of sport that requires confidence as well as concentration constantly. 

It isn’t hard to entirely focus on your opponents when you are still worried about the safety of your teeth, nose, jaw, and brain. 

Once you equip your body with proper gears, it will certainly help you gain effective motivation and promote your confidence during competition. 

Thus, preparation for both mentally and physically well is one of the best ways for your training.  

Economical

Last but not least, putting a mouthpiece on your mouthguard is a must to save your wallet wisely. Your dental bill will increase when you have a tooth issue, such as a knocked out or chipped one. If you have some experience paying these bills, you will clear how pricey the costs will take. 

Choosing a good quality mouthguard is a must to go long-term with this type of sport. Remember to purchase a high-qualified mouthpiece to make sure that it will protect you effectively. Thus, do not hesitate in purchasing one for your safety, or else you will need to spend more money on the dental bills.

What Happens When Sparring Without Mouthguard?

If you still haven’t got strong motivation to prepare a mouthpiece or feel that it is much more of a disturbance than a profit. You should take a look through some of the advantages below. 

Firstly, many people complain about this kind of device due to its discomfort and trouble breathing features. The first impression that anyone has the first time they use a mouthguard is annoyance and out of breath. 

However, we can solve this issue by choosing a relevant tool. You ought to consider which one you need to pick between single and double mouthguards. But we will highly recommend the single one as a number of boxing players are also prone to select this mouthguard type as it brings more comfort to their mouths than the other.   

Meanwhile, there is a truth that the more comfortable mouthguards are, the less they protect. The double mouthguards are the dominant option of most experts for safety in this sector, though they are quite bulky.

More specifically, when you put a smaller mouthpiece on your mouth, you would likely have more space to open your lips and breath with ease; which means that you can’t hold the mouthguard completely and leads to the results in losing a couple of your teeth from an attack of the opponent.

In sum, people said that “the first wealth is health.” Although wearing a mouthguard might bring some disadvantages and discomfort, this is the best way to protect your physical and mental in boxing matches.

Do Mouthguards Help Prevent Knockouts in MMA, Boxing, or Muay Thai?

There is an assumption in Boxing, Muay Thai, or MMA sectors that punching at chins is a key factor to knock the athletes out. 

A firm punch on your chin plays as a lever that makes your head twist suddenly to one side, slamming your brain across the side of your skull. The action leads to a concussion and makes you fall.

Even though you are wearing an outstanding anti-shock mouthguard, 

it will also not lessen force completely for your head, which is one reason to knock players out. 

So, what do mouthguards play to prevent being knocked out?

The mouthguard will ease your concussion partly, which supports you to be more calm on the match. Furthermore, the decreased fluid in the brain’s surroundings due to dehydration may also result in concussions. Therefore, let’s make sure that you provide enough hydration for your body throughout boxing matches. 

If you still stay with us until now, we certainly know that you are clear about what the mouthguard’s key purpose is. 

They aim to bring more safety to your teeth- not to avoid knockouts. This kind of equipment is an important factor that helps decrease the chance of suffering injuries during the matches.

Conclusion 

As mentioned above, a mouthpiece is extremely vital during sparring. It provides many benefits to you, such as: Protecting your face, boost confidence, reduce the chance of injuries and save your money. 

Although the equipment brings some disadvantages, your safety is still more important than these small issues. It would help if you also were mindful in picking the most suitable and protective one for the best result. Thank you for spending your time reading this article on “Sparring Without Mouthguard”, and please follow us to get more practical tips.

Boxing beginners often have this common question “Are boxing shoes necessary?”. Indeed, no one wants to spend lots of money to purchase new equipment until they are sure about their passion for boxing. Then is it necessary to purchase this item or not?

Let’s get started and find your answer right in our post.

Are Boxing Shoes Necessary For Fighters?

Before learning boxing, you have to look for useful information about this sport to prepare yourself before starting. You might notice some important equipment in this sport, such as gloves, hand wraps, and other protective gear. Hence, you will possibly confuse whether boxing shoes are compulsory enough to purchase or not. 

Is that okay to keep using your sneakers? The answer YES, as boxing shoes are unnecessary for beginners. You can keep using your regular shoes until the intensity level of your training program increases. However, wearing boxing shoes is crucial in protecting your feet, boosting stability, and allowing you to perform all punching postures easily.

Although it is good news for beginners to know that they do not have to spend more money on boxing shoes, boxing shoes are vital factors to get more impressive achievements in boxing.

More specifically, these shoes will play an important role in becoming a “second skin” for your feet. They embrace your feet completely so that you can safely, smoothly, and quickly move around.

What Do You Need To Know About Boxing Shoes?

As straightforward as their name, boxing shoes are necessary for boxers. Their unique designs and construction offer athletes important features: awesome tractions and perfect ankle support.

Each type of sport requires different physical prowess, skill, and other conditions. Therefore, you need to meet all their special needs to gain the desired achievements in your favorite sport.

For example, you have to wear running shoes while doing exercises as they are light and comfortable for your feet. As a result, you can avoid getting hurt and protect your legs while you make lots of pressure on your feet.

Similarly, a wrestler needs to stand stably during the game by limiting their movement potentials. Special shoes with a strong grip on the floor are extremely compulsory to them.

Shoes also play an important role in boxing as they help increase quick movement and stride chances while doing a powerful grip and preventing injuries.

Now, we’re going to list down some benefits of having boxing shoes in the below content.

Are There Advantages Of Using Boxing Shoes?

Better Traction

If you want to make progress after each session, you need to be skillful at one of the most basic requirements – good grips. You must avoid slipping while bouncing left and right or pivoting to defend yourself in the game.

Hence, You can perform various fancy crosses with the right volume of traction from the boxing shoes.

Awesome Ankle Support

Numbers of people consider that we only need to protect our face while fighting with the opponents; they also pay attention to the face or chest when considering the potential injuries.

However, you need to know that it is very common for ankle injuries in boxing. The reason is due to the mission of your ankle rolling when you try to weave and bob around.

Be aware of the importance of maintaining support for your ankle all the time, but also keep in mind that you can not randomly buy boxing shoes. Try to choose high-qualified boxing shoes as they will provide you with more protection and effectiveness.

More specifically, the special structures of these high-top shoes will protect your ankle and reduce the rate of getting hurt by entirely covering your ankle and tibia.

Lightweight And Better Movement

The perfect shoes are not just about traction and grip; they also need to be lightweight. If you use bulky and heavy shoes, they can hold you down and stop you from performing quick movement and flexible postures. 

With a proper pair of boxing shoes, you can move around smoothly and reduce the chances of getting exhausted quickly.

Boxing shoes are much lighter than any other type of shoes. Therefore, try to avoid using sneakers or running shoes while practicing boxing as they do not offer impressive agility like boxing shoes do.

Due to the high intensity in boxing, boxers must feel comfortable and light on their feet for a long time. Thus, manufacturers help fighters by making their boxing shoes weigh less than most other athletic shoes.

The extra weight can decrease the high level of sensitivity of the feet. As a result, heavy shoes will prevent athletes from continuously moving and quickly changing directions.

Sturdy Gear

If you are concerned about the durability and quality of these lightweight boxing shoes, the special structure of the shoes will satisfy you with their high-quality leather or suede.

The soles of boxing shoes are quite narrow; most manufacturers never allow the soles to protrude out of the stitch lines on the upper material of the boots. Therefore, the soles are less likely to grip on the ground.

Comfy And Safe

With the high demand for boxing shoes recently, many manufacturers do their best to improve the quality of their products. According to these shoes’ special thermal regulating mesh, you will feel very pleasant while using them for the fights.

You will feel uncomfortable for the first time, but do not worry as this period doesn’t last too long.

Sweat Protection

Sweat protection is one of the main benefits of using boxing shoes. Still, you need to be aware of this feature of the shoes as it will allow sweat to evaporate more quickly and avoid wetness inside your boxing sneaker. This situation will make you and others near you feel extremely annoyed.

We all sweat after training sessions, especially after fighting in the ring or practicing punching bags. Nobody wants to experience their training time with stink, wet shoes, and socks. Therefore, a high-quality pair of shoes will help evaporate your feet sweat quickly via their inside structure.

Which Brands Should You Choose For Boxing Shoes?

The high-top boxing shoes are often better, as they support the fighters’ ankles most comfortably. As a result, with the stable environment for your ankle, you can perform and efficiently show more strength and flexibility in each move and punch.

One of the top choices for you might be Reeboks’ Men’s Boxing Boot-Buck Sneakers. The reports from these shoes’ customers show that the shoes are super comfortable and even offer the ankle strap. Thus, your feet will be more stable inside the shoes.

The shoes’ rubber outsole can impressively improve the traction. Hence, fighters can move quickly and effortlessly make angle cuts while being in fights.

There are many shoe brands with high-quality for you on the market. However, be mindful not just focus only on the price tag. Let’s try the product first on your feet and perform some postures to test its comfort before deciding.

Final Thoughts

As a starter, you may think that a decent pair of boxing shoes are not necessary. However, these boxing shoes will be surprisingly valuable if you have a strong enthusiasm for this sport in the future.

Through our article, you will have better perspectives for your doubt about boxing shoes so that you can make the most suitable decision for yourself. Hence, we hope you can answer your question: “Are Boxing Shoes Necessary?” after reading this post.

“When should I start sparring in boxing?” – this question comes to your mind frequently. 

You have been practicing boxing for a period, and now you want to join the sparring battles to test your skills and figure out how it feels to be in a battle. 

Here, let our article reveal the signs that it’s your time for sparring.

What Benefits Will You Gain From Sparring? 

We all know that it is good to start sparring as soon as you are ready because you will obtain numerous benefits. Here, let’s have a glimpse of some of these advantages. 

Improve Your Techniques

First, practice sparring enables you to shorten the time of thinking about what you should do in the match. 

For instance, when witnessing your opponent’s attack, you can quickly decide how to defend and how to fight back in seconds. 

You also get a great chance to test any technique you have learned or the fighting ideas you have thought about. 

Through sparring, you figure out which techniques/ideas work so that you can use them more effectively in real boxing matches. 

Teach You How To React In Certain Situations

What should you do when your opponent presses you in the corner? 

Well, if you are an amateur, you might not know how to react in a bad case like this one, right?

That’s why you need to join sparring matches to test different approaches and eventually find out how to overcome these challenges. 

Boost Your Self-confidence

Besides, sparring is a way to boost your confidence, especially when you feel a little afraid of being punched. 

The truth is that you definitely get several punches during sparring. And the more you take, the sooner you realize they aren’t such big deals. The only thing that matters is how to defend and fight back. 

Bring A Lot Of Fun

Along with these advantages, sparring also brings a lot of fun. It is such a great time to deeply engage in this sport and enjoy it with all your mind.

When Should I Start Sparring In Boxing? – 3 Signs Showing You Are Ready For Sparring 

It usually takes at least two months for an amateur to spar for the first time. However, if you want to start earlier, you can check out the three signs below to see if you are able to have your first battle.  

#1. Your Body Is Fit, And You Are Good At The Basic Boxing Skills

Fit Body

The first thing to check is whether your body is fit enough for sparring. It is also essential to test your physical condition before every sparring match.

Footwork

Asides from the good physical condition, you have to be good at some basic skills so you can protect yourself and fight back during sparring.

Among the skills, footwork is the most fundamental one as it enables you to close the distance on your opponent to hit them yet quickly move away to avoid their attacks.

The Jab

As boxing is a combat sport, you need to learn how to throw solid jabs properly. If you can’t do this well, you might end up getting many jabs from your opponent and struggle to fight back.

It is also essential for you to learn how to use your jabs as your defenses to keep a distance from your opponent and move backward safely. 

Keep a Solid Guard

It is nearly impossible to dodge all the punches from your opponent, right?

For this reason, you need to learn some boxing guard types so that you can avoid and block punches to protect your body, especially your ribs and liver. 

Head Movement

If you want to defend well, you need to spend time practicing head movement. 

Once you can move your head (your opponent’s target) well, you let your hands be free instead of using them to protect your head all the time. In this way, you can counter immediately on any combinations he/she throws.

#2. Your Mental Health Is Pretty Strong

Overcome Your Fear

Before sparring, you might feel a little afraid of being punched, right? It is your natural response, so don’t feel shy about it. 

Instead of feeling bad about your fear, you can learn to overcome it and calm your mind. 

Here is a tip for you: whenever you feel afraid, recall the reasons you started learning boxing and how many challenges you have overcome while practicing. 

Once you stick to your motivation, you will fully concentrate on your match and overcome your fear.

Accept That Anything Can Happen

We all wish to have a great sparring time with plenty of good experience. However, sometimes the bad things, such as getting punched right onto your face, just come.

And you can hardly predict what will happen in the game. All we can do is to prepare for the bad things and stay positive, even when we have bad experiences. 

#3. Your Coach Or Instructor Allows You To Join Sparring Matches

If you have the two mentioned signs above, it is time to meet your coach and ask him to join a squaring match. If he permits you, then congratulations, you can prepare for your first sparring match. 

In case he says “no” to you, politely ask him for the reasons and instructions on practicing the skills you are not good at. Be patient, and keep on improving your skills.

We ensure that the time for your first sparring match will come soon. 

How To Have An Awesome Sparring Experience? – 6 Easy Tips To Follow 

What should you do to have an awesome sparring match? Here are the tips for your first sparring. 

Choose Opponent Carefully, Especially In The Beginning

The ugly truth is that some boxers are aggressive, and they enjoy beating up other players, especially the beginners.

It will be such a nightmare when meeting one of these violent boxers in your first sparring match, right? Thus, you need to be careful when choosing your opponents. 

Set The Intensity

It is essential to set the “strength limit” for a sparring session before getting started. You can suggest an intensity percentage, such as 50%, to your partner and negotiate for the level both of you feel comfortable.

By setting arrangements on a suitable level of intensity, you guys can keep the sparring battle under control and prevent the bad experience while fighting. 

Get Your Body And Mind Warm Up Before Sparring Sessions

We all know that it is a must to warm up your body before every sparring session to perform best and avoid injuries. 

What’s about the mind? 

It is essential to clear your mind before getting in the game carefully. Because if you step into the ring with a clouded mind, you will likely make critical mistakes and lose the game within a short time. 

Use The Right Equipment

If you want to stay safe after squirting, make sure you equip yourself with the right equipment. Gloves, wrap, mouth guard, shoes – are the must-to-have equipment that you need to use. 

For light squaring, you don’t need to wear headgear. But if you and your partners are about to fight harder, it would be best to headgear to avoid cuts and bruises. 

Learn From Your Opponent 

If you take sparring seriously, you need to learn your opponents to know their strengths and weaknesses. 

Pay close attention to your opponents, and try to answer the questions such as what fighter-type he is, which punch type he usually uses for attacking, and so on.

Understanding your opponents is the first step to create a successful strategy during the battle.

Listen to Your Coach

A good coach is the one who listens, watches, and teaches us boxing, so he understands our strengths and weaknesses pretty well. 

Thus, it would be best if you follow his advice or instruction for better performance in the battles. 

If you feel a little challenging to hear his voice during the fight, spend time practicing catching their commands and following them in the battle.

Enjoy The Process

Lastly, don’t forget to enjoy the process of learning. In the end, sparring is just a way to practice and improve your boxing ability.

Thus, you should spar with all your might and focus on making progress. By enjoying the process, your sparring time will be so delightful.  

Conclusion 

“When should I start sparring in boxing?” – now you know the answer to this question, right?

If you are about to jump in the ring and take on your first opponent, we hope you will have great experiences and continuously improve your skills. 

If you are not, don’t feel bad. Go back to practicing, and work even harder. This way, you will be able to join sparring matches in no time.

If you are a beginner in boxing, there will be times when you wonder: “Does strength matter in boxing?”. Of course, having powerful punches has an advantage in this sport, but is it sufficient for you to achieve victories? To clarify these questions, we decided to write this article to give readers a complete perspective on the strength of boxing and its role.

What Exactly Is Strength In Boxing?

Strength in boxing can be understood as the maximum weight your punch produces. In other words, great power can help you make a significant impact on your opponent in each hit.

There are many interpretations of power in boxing, and most boxing experts consider it the power of a punch. Therefore, people often find ways to practice and improve their punching strength.

Almost all professional boxers are equipped with their sensors to calculate specific parameters, such as diagonal punch, straight punch, or hook. For semi-professional punches, they typically use stationary sensors to compute their punching power.

What Is The Difference Between Explosive And Power?

You don’t need too much power to win, but the explosion in each match is very crucial to have the edge in your attacking situations. As such, the strength and the explosive in competition are a little different. What is the relationship between them?

As defined above, power is the maximum force you can produce in one punch. It depends on many factors, including the muscles, the punch direction, and the fighter’s physical strength.

In contrast, the explosive means the maximum power your punches generate over a given amount of time.

Let’s discover the reason for this discrepancy! You should note that most boxers can only be excellent at one of the two parameters above, good strength or good explosions. A strong punch will consume more energy and put great pressure on your corn plant. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to unleash many punches with similar power in a short amount of time.

Boxing athletes often tend to choose one type of indicator to pursue. Specifically, tall boxers usually do not have the advantage of speed, so they will focus on improving each punch’s strength. In contrast, shorter boxers may choose to concentrate on improving their explosions.

So, how are they related? The two have a mutual support relationship. Specifically, the explosive is a combination of two factors: power and speed. Therefore, you can completely improve your explosion by increasing the power of each punch. Conversely, performing punching speed exercises can also help you enhance both strength and explosion.

Does Strength Matter In Boxing?

Unlike wrestling, force is not a deciding factor for the athlete to achieve the victories. If your stamina and fighting skills outperform your opponents, you don’t need to have great strength to win.

However, no one can deny the important role of energy in boxing. Here are some of the certain benefits and drawbacks of having power over your opponent.

Strength In Close-range Combat Tactics

One of the factors that affect the importance of strength is the strategy of the game.

The majority of tall boxers often choose fighting tactics at close range and with less movement. They are usually slower and do not have the endurance of shorter fighters. Therefore, their strategy will largely depend on the force. 

Imagine if an opponent locked the ball, you would need to use a lot of might to get out of there. Of course, a guy with a lot of strength would have an advantage in such situations.

On the other hand, the choice of fighting at close range limits their ability to move and their technique. In other words, the player’s power was more useful to them instead of dodging movements.

Strength In Distance Maintenance Tactics

Strength doesn’t play a big role with boxers choosing their fighting strategy based on technique and their ability to move smartly.

Specifically, this tactic allows the fighter to move widely and maintain distance with the opponent with foot movements and tactical shots. Most attack situations will be guerrilla type. That is, you will move wider and take advantage of the opponent’s loopholes to strike in bursts. In this case, the explosive stat is the most important element to win the enemy.

Muhammad Ali is a great example of this playing style. In the match against Sonny Liston, who was rated a lot stronger, Ali used a very effective strategy of keeping distance and moving wide. He disabled Liston’s powers and defeated this opponent after four rounds.

In short, we can conclude that strength is only really important when the strategy you choose is directly related to it. However, whatever your fighting style is, try to power up your punches because there will inevitably be situations where you can make use of it.

Strengths And Endurance – Which Is The Deciding Factor?

Most beginners like to run, move and put their strength into the early game. However, their stamina was only able to maintain in the first one to two rounds. Then, they easily get tired and exhausted. In the final, these punches are almost unable to protect themselves, and they are easily knocked out at sensitive times of each round. Even if not injured, the referee still reserves the right to stop the game if they are no longer able to move.

Boxing matches usually last in time. Specifically, there are a total of 12 matches, and each round lasts 3 minutes. Therefore, this sport requires so tremendous endurance that many experts call each match a marathon. Athletes must ensure fitness and alertness throughout the game if they do not want to be defeated unexpectedly.

In other words, if you do not have good stamina, you will lose. On the contrary, your strength is only a support factor, not essential.

If you are strong but have poor stamina, you may have one or two good sets, but you will most likely get tired. And when you start to feel exhausted, it’s getting more and more difficult to defend yourself against your opponent’s punches. Even if the shots don’t hurt you, the referee can stop the game just because you are not protecting yourself.

A prime example of this situation is the historic match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. As you know, Conor dominated the game for the most part. However, Conor began to breathe harder and exhausted at the last moment. He was put under great pressure by Floyd, which gradually got worse. In the end, the referee stopped the game because Conor was unable to continue playing after Floyd’s punch. As a result, we have to admit that endurance is always a decisive factor in a boxing match.

Conclusion

The above is our full view and relevant knowledge of strength and its importance in boxing. Indeed, its necessity will depend on your strategy and playing style. 

If you are an agile fighter who prefers to use distance strategy, strength may not be of the decisive role. On the contrary, it will be essential for big fists who tend to use the fighting style at close range. We hope this article will help you answer the question “Does strength matter in boxing?”. 

Good luck!

Many people said MMA was a more ‘genuine’ form of fighting, yet, why is boxing more popular than MMA?

These days, you hardly catch any boxing match that fight fans are actually excited to see. Does it mean boxing is no longer the dominant sport in the world? Not at all. In fact, boxing remains on its throne as one of the world’s #1 spectator sports, along with football and tennis.

Today’s article gives you a brief answer to explain boxing’s popularity compared with MMA and why one surpasses the other. Stay tuned!

Why Is Boxing Still A Popular Sport?

Boxing might not be as popular as it used to be in the 80s but remains a worldwide sport. Here are a few reasons why boxing still thrives in the 21st century.

High Intensity

Boxing is intense. Your adrenaline will be boosted to the max watching a boxing match, especially a good one.

It gets on your nerves when your favorite boxer is beaten up to the ground. You’ll probably sway back and forth alongside them; even when you’re only watching from home, you’ll be up on your feet and walking around, hoping they will get off just in time not to lose.

The Hype

Before each boxing fight starts, fans are always hyped by the boxers, making the match something to look forward to. The thing is, not every fight lives up to its hype, which can be a disappointment when the match ends.

Nonetheless, pre-fight hype and trash talk have become a tradition of boxing. Matches aren’t the same without being hyped up; some people even consider the positive hype after each fight as one of the best traits of boxing as it makes them both anxious yet excited!

The Brutality

As trivial as it sounds, we humans are DNA-wired to kill; therefore, it makes sense when something as brutal as boxing is popular. At the same time, it can be hard to admit that people like boxing due to its brutal nature; it is actually true.

Some folks find it astonishing how one can take so many punches yet manage to stand still on the ground, if not fighting back.

Betting

When it comes to combat sports, people bet.

Sports betting is considered a huge business despite its illegality, and boxing is known as one of the most money-driven sports among other king sports.

Believe it or not, boxing betting is almost as popular as gambling in casinos. Placing your bet on the outcome of a match can be deep and thrilling, especially when you’re about to lose and the table turns in the end.

Supporters

The number of boxing fans worldwide can be beyond what you can imagine. Just look at how stands at boxing matches are filled every time with hundreds of people chanting songs of victory.

Boxing has never been less popular; it is just less popularized on TV, particularly in the states. This combat sport might even be more prevalent than any other sport, but it’s spread worldwide instead of concentrated in one country.

Why is Boxing More Popular than MMA? – Comparisons to Get the Best Answer

Boxing is more popular than MMA in many aspects, and here’s why.

History

First of all, we have to talk about the origins of both parties.

Boxing has been around for thousands of years, whereas MMA is barely 30 years old. In addition, this Olympic sport has a rich, deep-rooted history than MMA; it is much more established and well-respected among sports lovers.

Even though boxing appears to be more dangerous than MMA, it is seen as a less brutal sport by the general public. Imagine punching someone while they’re on the ground with gloves. Will the masses approve that? Probably, but not fully.

Popularity

Both sports already have a reputation for themselves.

Of course, since boxing has been around for a longer time, there is more to discuss about this sport. Even though MMA also has its big stars like Conor McGregor, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Ronda Rousey, or Georges St-Pierce, etc., most people (non sport fans) know nothing about the others but McGregor and Rousey.

On the other hand, everybody knows about Mike Tyson, a.k.a Iron Mike, Muhammad Ali, or Floyd Mayweather, which are all-time great boxers.

Nonetheless, MMA is expanding in growing and becoming more and more popular among gen Z. Boxing might have reached its peak a long time ago, but MMA is not anywhere close there. But even when it does, will it ever surpass boxing’s massive legacy? Time will answer this.

Promoters

By far, the UFC is the only large organization that holds MMA events; there are smaller groups like Bellator or KSW, but they’re nothing compared to UFC. 

On the contrary, there are currently four top-tier organizations that oversee boxing fights – namely WBO – World Boxing Organization, WBA – The World Boxing Association, IBF – the International Boxing Federation, and WBC – World Boxing Council.

Since MMA only has one major company, people aren’t offered enough options. For instance, if sports supporters are not big fans of MMA’s products, they can’t really choose anything else as the alternative belts are little.

The way that these two parties promote themselves is also far different from each other. 

Everything related to MMA has to be in the control of UFC and fall under its banner, from fights, shows to events for fans. Meanwhile, boxing tasks all their events and shows to different promoters who can cooperate with others and specialize in setting up events. 

In that way, boxing promoters will give more chances to boxing to reach more fans and other avenues. Don King and some other topmost promoters have been a great match for decades and able to build a lot of stars.

These promoters are also one of the main reasons why boxing is more popular than MMA. Rarely do any big promoters from the boxing world hold an MMA event or seek their way to enter the MMA world.

Still, things are not the same with the MMA promoters. Many evidence has shown that Dana White – the UFC matchmaker, is attempting to participate in some boxing event promotions.

Fighters

In the early 2000s, America witnessed a rise of MMA gyms and claim-to-be owners and instructors who have fought for an assortment of fighting groups.

The big difference between MMA fighters and the training boxers is how they start training. Boxing fighters can learn at gyms from trainers who once fought at numerous levels, ranging from amateur to professional.

On the other hand, MMA fighters do not go on the same path to get into professional MMA. Most often, they compete for small, dodgy promotions just to get into the octagon easier.

Prestige and Media

Boxing has long held a place in the sports world, with top media outlets covering it. Top magazines, sports pundits, and even scripts in big Hollywood movies have supported boxing to make it a major sport.

Nonetheless, more media outlets have covered MMA in recent times. For instance, the United Kingdom’s BBC. However, MMA media influence is still nothing compared to boxing.

Perception

Ever since its debut, MMA was always seen as something more brutal than boxing. The rules for boxing are also less dangerous. Boxers can only use certain moves and tools, whereas, in MMA, it is far more unrestricted.

Nonetheless, the evidence tends to paint a different picture. According to the statistics, there were 60 deaths attributed to boxing in the past 15 years. Yet, only 4 in MMA from 1981 to 2007.

Boxing in MMA

Maybe it is brutal, yet people are obsessed with seeing each other fighting, punching, and knocking the other out. They love the intensity, the brutality of the knockouts brought to them.

That is why they fell in love with boxing in the first place and some fighters like Deontay Wilder or Mike Tyson. And, those who are fond of boxing tend to dislike watching MMA.

However, they may not know that in MMA nowadays, the fighters having the knockout power or use their hands frequently in fighting are extremely in favor. They are likely to get more promotion from their organizations—namely, Francis Ngannou, Conor McGregor, Johnny Walker. 

Other fighters who don’t own that knockout power are still very sought-after and well-liked by the fans (like Alexander Gustafsson, the Diaz brothers).

Is it because the MMA fans are also boxing fans? We are not sure. Still, suppose boxing was the second most well-known battling sport just after MMA; people would still watch it the most.

In Conclusion

Why is boxing more popular than MMA? We assume you must have an answer by now. Subsequently, we never know what the future holds; maybe MMA will surpass boxing one day.

With the vast growth of MMA, it has the chance of taking over boxing shortly. We give it 5 – 10 years until it reaches its peak and becomes more relevant than boxing. But for now, with a wider appeal, boxing is still taking the lead.

Thank you for reading.

If you are new to UFC, you might ask yourself this question at least once: “Do UFC fighters wear cups during their matches?” For a long time, those who love this “gory sport” have already known the answer, but still many people do not clear. The below article will respond to your questions in the easiest way to understand.

Do UFC Fighters Wear Cups?

Some fighters believe that they don’t need to wear protective cups during competition as it sometimes brings them discomfort. However, the fighting process always carries a high risk, especially being attacked in sensitive areas. 

In order to avoid these unfortunate events, it is necessary that fighters have to wear cups to protect their groin during their match. As a result, the organizers of the tournament require all boxers to wear a groin protector as a matter of fact!

What Are The Benefits Of Wearing Cups? 

As we know, all fighters are mentally prepared and fully equipped with the necessary medical care when something goes wrong, but these protective cups always have an unexpected role!

Protect The Fighter’s Groin During The Competition

Because fighters are often in situations of fast movement on the ground, sometimes they were getting injured. And a cup can help protect them in such situations.

In fact, the best places to attack someone are the sensitive parts of his body, including the groin area. If a fighter receives a groin shot, the cups’ material and design usually allocate well the weight of the strike. So, they will feel the pain much less.

A protective cup is probably the cheapest equipment that helps provide extra pain relief when a fighter gets hit by a dangerous blow.

Improve Performance In Practice And Fighter

Cup will definitely bring a safe and comfortable feeling for our fighters during their battles.

Moreover, some cups (like the ones built into MMA shorts) allow for improved stretchability, resulting in better performance in a match. Properly stretching your groin area can prevent muscle tension and other muscle-related injuries.

Hold Everything In Place

Another reason why cups are so essential for men is that they keep everything in place. Men often find it difficult to control their “sensitive” parts during the game. Therefore, having an easy and protective one will keep everything in the same where.

What Approved Cups For MMA Fighting?

The UFC specifies the types of cups that a fighter can wear. Since the organizer will censor the legal material of the cups, fighters have to choose a suitable one for them. 

Durability, good functionality, and comfort in the game are all factors that they need to take into account when choosing a good cup.

>>For Male Fighter

Compression Shorts: 

Nowadays, more and more fighters are wearing MMA shorts with chest cups. The reason is that they are easy to wear and adjust but still provide protection.

Compression shorts not only provide cup support but also increase blood flow. If they’re too tight, they might actually do more harm than good. Hence, it would be better to consider the size and do a trial when you buy them. 

Jockstraps:

Jockstraps are a more traditional form of defense in combat and athletics in general. Though jockstraps provide fighters the maneuverability, they can be difficult to adjust as they are made of an elastic drawstring.

To fix this, you had better get used to wearing Jockstraps before planning to wear them in matches.

Muay Thai Cups:

The Muay Thai cup is usually more suitable for performing martial arts such as Jiu-Jitsu or Taekwondo. To be fair, it only maximizes effectiveness in intense or very technical matches. Its effect can protect the fighting fish and assist them to move quickly in the decisive attack.

>>For Female Fighter

Women are also asked to wear a shirt and breast protection. Similarly, there are specialized tools for females to protect their sensitive areas in match times.

Most notably, the Women’s Sports Cup helps prevent symptoms such as abdominal pain, bleeding, bruising, and other pain that can occur in women after the groin attack.

What Happens Without Using A Guard Cup? 

When a fighter was hit in the groin, they were allowed to rest for 5 minutes. Then, if they feel better and continue to play, the match will resume. On the other hand, the game will be stopped in case the fighters feel the pain is still lingering.

So, whether the game ends or stops, a groin attack will bring serious health consequences for fighters. If a partner is unable to continue the match due to being hit in the groin, the fighter who gets an error may be disqualified.

Conclusion

 So, “Do UFC fighters wear cups ?” The final answer is YES.

It is imperative to have a protective cup as it not only protects the fighters from being attacked in sensitive areas but also makes them feel safe and comfortable during their match.

Now we bet you are already satisfied with our answer above! Thank you for reading and hope to see you in the next post!