Venum Challenger 3.0 MMA Sparring Gloves is Venum’s take on creating good quality MMA sparring gloves at an affordable price. Sparring is essential for success in martial arts and having suitable gloves that provide support, protection, and comfort are essential.
These lightweight gloves are engineered for beginner to intermediate MMA fighters that can use these gloves on a regular basis.
Overview
Venum is a trusted brand in the world of MMA equipment, and their regular Challenger MMA gloves are some of the most popular on the market. Venum has taken the good things from the regular Challenger and implemented them in the Challenger 3.0 MMA Sparring Gloves.
These feature a hybrid design with an open palm that makes them useful for both striking and grappling and are a great choice for day-to-day sparring for beginners.
Construction
MMA sparring gloves weigh from 7 to 9oz, and Venum has opted to make these 8 ozs. These are made from rather good quality PU leather, but they can’t match the quality of the more expensive Hayabusa T3 Hybrid MMA Gloves. That said, in this price range, the Venum Challenger 3.0 have pretty good leather quality.
Now, one of the most important factors when looking at MMA sparring gloves is the amount of padding they have. Venum has done a pretty good job with that, as in this price range, these offer the most amount of padding.
Most of the padding is obviously in the knuckle area, but it was surprising to see how much padding these have in the wrist area. The thumb area is also filled with an optimal amount of padding, so you can rest assured that it will be protected as much as it can be.
Where Venum did an excellent job in the sweat absorption department since the inside of the glove is made from neoprene, which also makes the glove more durable.
In terms of wrist support, these feature a Velcro strap like most MMA gloves. The whole Velcro system is pretty large, and we liked the fit it offered.
Performance
When looking at the performance of these gloves, one of the first things you should be aware of is that they are designed for striking and grappling, not just one or the other. The knuckles are padded quite well, and they do offer pretty good protection when sparring.
Grappling, on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. While these do have an open palm design that makes them eligible for grappling, the overall amount of padding that these have, especially in the wrist area makes it harder to open your hand.
Specifications
- 8oz
- Open palm
- High-quality injected foam
- Velcro closure system
- Neoprene interior
- S, M, and L/XL
Conclusion
While the Venum Challenger 3.0 MMA Sparring Gloves are not perfect in any way, shape, or form, they do provide excellent value, particularly for beginners and intermediates who are looking for a pair of sparring gloves but are not on a very high budget.
One more great thing about these MMA sparring gloves is that they come in a variety of interesting colorways, so you know you will look good when sparring!