Athletes of many sports prepare for competition with safety in mind before entering a contest, and mixed martial arts fighters are no exception. Mixed martial arts fighters, arguably, have to come prepared to a fight understanding the potential consequences of injuries during fights. While accidental injuries, such as eye pokes, can happen with frequency, male mixed martial arts fighters continually run the risk of going strikes during their competitive fights.
During a professional mixed martial arts bout, emotions are running high, strikes are being thrown with bad intentions, and winning is the only thing on their mind. Sometimes, emotions and adrenaline get the best of the fighter and a strike lands low around the groin area, oftentimes resulting in the fighter who was struck dropping to their knees in pain. As guys, groin shots are the absolute worst - we’d rather take an Edson Barboza-esque spinning heel kick to the head than experience the brutal feeling that comes with a low groin strike. But lucky for mixed martial arts fighters, they’re allowed to wear cups during an MMA bout, which helps protect those prized jewels.
Simply put, a cup in MMA is a tool used during a fighters’ sparring and competitive fight with the purpose to protect the male fighter’s groin against oncoming attacks, such as low punches and kicks. While cups don’t fully protect the male fighter from experiencing pain, it at least helps in absorbing some of the impact so that it’s not as painful when a groin strike lands.
One of the most awful feelings of pain as a man is to experience a groin shot, no matter the age. One single shot to the groin will leave even the swollest of men dropping to their knees. MMA cups allow for some level of protection as they help absorb the impact of the strike to the groin. It won’t fully protect you from the inevitable pain, but it will at least not make it such a painful experience as it would be without a cup.
As a male mixed martial arts fighter, you should ABSOLUTELY wear a cup during either sparring or a competitive match. You may even want to wear a cup during your training in general, as Muay Thai and Kickboxing training with team mates can also result in accidental low blows.
Apart from the common sense side of wearing a cup in MMA, there are also rules in place in different MMA fighting organizations that require fighters to wear a cup during a competitive bout.
If you’re planning on entering some level of a competitive mixed martial art fight, equip yourself with a durable cup that’ll protect your cherries. Don’t cheap out either when you go out and buy yourself a cup - get a cup that’s made with strong materials. A popular cup used among many fighters are Thai steel cups, so perhaps consider one of these as a potential option. Our shop will be carrying these soon! If you’re a MMA fighter or practitioner, the next time you’re out looking for some muay thai gloves or some boxing hand wraps, don’t forget to add a cup to your gym bag!
