The Venum Elite MMA Sparring Gloves are a great piece of gear to add to your bag. They are a very versatile and work well for the heavy bag, focus mitts, and sparring. They’re great for MMA and grappling and can double as boxing gloves in a pinch. If you only have room in your bag for one pair of gloves, the Venum Elites are a wise choice.

Full Venum Elite MMA Sparring Gloves Review

Protection and Padding

I’ve used MMA and hybrid gloves from different companies, and these are among the best. At 7 oz, the padding is dense on this hybrid glove and provides a lot of protection for you and your sparring partner. Unlike others, it’s not too much on the hand–just the knuckles. I trained for decades in traditional karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu before trying MMA, and I prefer as little padding as possible in favor of striking accuracy, unobstructed gripping, and general manual dexterity. You may like a little more protection for the back of the hand and wrist, but if you just want to hit hard in training, these gloves are for you.

Comfort

The Venum Elite MMA Sparring gloves have a nice feel on the heavy bag. They feel more like boxing gloves than bag gloves or MMA gloves for this type of training. You can really work the bag without tiring your hands or scratching them up because the gloves lack padding or slip. They are light and quick when hitting mitts and issue a nice crack when making solid contact. The gloves are a bit tough on your opponents when sparring, however. I swapped gloves with one of my sparring partners, and we agree. They probably needs to be broken in more thoroughly before mixing it up.

These gloves fit very well and are very adjustable. The double wrist closure locks the gloves on tight. I actually had to loosen them because my left hand was tingly during my first session with them. The fingers are well secured by Skintex webbing on the inside of the glove. The knuckle pads aren’t going anywhere no matter how grueling your training. The elastic on the thumb is comfortable and didn’t shift too much for me. The thumb is definitely the weak point of the gloves. It’s kind of loose even on small/medium size. I’ve worn both that and the large/extra large size. They are almost identical. For most adults, you’d use the S/M without wraps and L/XL with wraps, as the latter size is just a bit wider across the striking surface.

Quality

Quality is consistently impressive with Venum products, and the Elites are no exception. Skintex leather, like on their other products, is comfortable and durable. The lining within wicks sweat and resists odor. The padding is even, and the stitching is tight and clean. You really can’t ask for anything more from a pair of hybrid or MMA gloves.

Design

Appreciating Venum’s designs is subjective, though. Their color schemes and viper logo are bold to say the least. The guys at my gym do like the aesthetics. I own the matching Elite headgear as well and like to think I look pretty awesome while trying not to get beat up during practice.

Price

These gloves are on sale through several websites. They retail at $74.99 (at the time of this review), but you can find them sold for up to half off in many places. They’re a great addition to your kit even at full price. I highly recommend them despite a few minor shortcomings.

Pros & Cons

8.8 Total Score Venum Elite MMA Sparring Gloves The Venum Elite MMA Sparring Gloves are a high-quality pair of hybrid MMA gloves. At 7 oz., they are highly adjustable and are very comfortable. Even though the thumb pad is a little loose, the generous knuckle padding fits well, doesn't slip, and provides serious protection for grappling, MMA, and even boxing training and sparring. Protection & Padding 10 Comfort 9 Quality 10 Design 7 Cost 8 PROS Padding and protection for sparring, bag work, and pads.

Highly adjustable for a custom fit.

You can find these for up to half off by shopping around. CONS Padding is a little too dense for sparring without breaking in.

Thumb pad is loose and seems unnecessary.

Expensive if purchased at full price. Add your review | Read reviews and comments