Do Gloves Make A Difference For MMA Fighters Who Switch to Boxing?

For nearly the past ten years, some of the best mixed martial artists on the planet have begun to dabble in boxing, with varying results. Whether it is in the pursuit of wealth, glory, or a title in a different sport, the square circle has enticed several notable competitors such as Vitor Belfort, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Conor McGregor. 

In the realm of MMA, these fighters were well known for their tremendous knockout power and stellar striking ability. However, while some of these legends have enjoyed success after making the switch, others have found that the level of standup prowess they once commanded did not seem to follow them into new territory.

Do Boxing Gloves Matter?

Although a bevy of factors can affect a bout’s outcome, there is perhaps one aspect that newly-minted boxers might not be prepared for coming from MMA: the gloves’ size. In comparison to their counterparts, whose gloves normally weigh anywhere from eight ounces to ten ounces, mixed martial arts fighters commonly wear gloves weighing only four. There is also a major difference in padding that goes into boxing gloves, possibly leading some of the aforementioned athletes to underestimate the weight of the punches being thrown at them.

Taking a closer look at the boxing debuts of Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, there is a significant difference in how long both men were able to compete inside the ring. Funnily enough, they also both fought the exact same adversary in the same year back in 2021, popular YouTube sensation, Jake Paul. 

MMA vs Boxing

In the case of Askren, who had previously only been finished just once in his 21 fight MMA career, and had taken massive punishment from heavy-handed fighters like Robbie Lawler, was knocked out in just one round. Now, there can be an argument about the size and strength of Paul, and also how “Funky” was coming off two stoppage losses in the UFC, it isn’t out of the question to suggest that the weight of the boxing gloves could have played a part. 

Woodley, on the other hand, fared much better in his match against “The Problem Child,” appearing to rock Paul at one point before going on to lose the eight round bout by split decision. But, in a rematch that took place four months later, “The Chosen One” was ultimately put down by a hard right in the sixth round that put him out cold. In this instance, it looked like it wasn’t so much the weight or the padding of the gloves that stopped Woodley, it was more like a combination of accumulated damage and also the hard punching power of Paul.

For the most prominent example of MMA athletes coming up short in boxing, we need only look at the combat sports super fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. In this fight, McGregor, who had never been finished by strikes before, was shockingly beaten in the ten round by the boxing legend, despite having gone through some major battles in the past while sporting four ounce gloves. 

That’s not to say that all MMA fighters who have jumped into boxing didn’t find success, as José Aldo, a former seven-time defending champion, actually managed to do very well during his short time in the ring. He fought three times and didn’t lose once, winning two matches by unanimous decision and netting one draw. For a man with 16 career victories by KO/TKO, one would imagine that heavier gloves would only augment the fists of Aldo, except he didn’t score any finishes at all. This begs some speculation as to how his opponents would have fared if “Junior” was wearing the standard mixed martial arts gloves in the place of the bigger boxing ones.

While there are other cases that can be observed and studied, the bottom line is that, just like mixed martial arts, boxing can be very hard to predict. We’ve seen some of the toughest names from the Octagon lose in spectacular fashion to pugilists using double digit ounce gloves, but there are also plenty of instances where they have pulled through and gotten the win. What it really boils down to isn’t what size glove is being used in a bout, but rather who is the individual that’s swinging it.