It’s nearly that time of year again, when you have to struggle to think of what christmas present you’re going to buy for the fighter in your life (or add to your own christmas list!). As always, everyone at FQ has your back and we’ve put together the ultimate fighters christmas gift list full of things we want to ask Santa for. These are roughly put into a price order (high-low) and, while we’ve included examples, we’ve not personally tested all of the products on this list!
A Cobra Bag
Cobra bags have become a bit of a trend recently, with fighters like Ryan Garcia using them regularly in their training. A great way to practice both offense and defence when you’re training they’re a versatile training tool that allows you to train without a partner (which is obviously a massive draw with the response to the COVID pandemic) but with a bit more purpose than a regular heavy bag – Ringside Boxing offer a great example for $300.
A pair of high end gloves
‘High end gloves’ cover a big range of products, but typically we’d be looking at the £200+ range for a pair, it really depends how much you want to spoil the person you’re buying them for. Great options include the Fly Sports Superloop/Superlace ranges (around £325 a pair) or a pair of protective Winning gloves that would set you back around £240 plus delivery. If you really, really love someone you may even consider getting them a pair of Di Nardo gloves, which would set you back a cool £1000.
A massage gun
Percussion massage guns have become very popular recently with loads of top fighters using them to enhance their recovery. You could opt to pay for regular massages throughout the year, but buying a massage gun will provide at home massages with a much smaller price tag.
A set of punch trackers
Wearable tech is everywhere these days and boxing is no exception. There’s a number of options out there that can track your workouts, what punches are thrown and how hard you’ve worked during your session – ideal for both home workouts and classes. The Corner punch trackers are a great example, and would set you back £90 for a pair.
Shin guards
Similarly to gloves, new shin guards are always well received. There’s a huge variety available, with plenty of variations in style and design. Our two hot recommendations would be the Hayabusa T3 Shin Guards (£105) for someone who prefers a more modern design from a respected brand, or the Fairtex SP5 Shin Guards (£75) for something more traditional from a brand with plenty of striking heritage.
A new kit bag
If the person you’re shopping for has all the kit they need for training and none of it needs replacing yet then you can always opt for getting them a bag to put it all in. Most companies offer some sort of kit bag in various sizes – we’ve had our eye on the Yokkao Convertible Gym Bags recently – they offer a good amount of storage space with the option to carry it like a traditional kit bag or wear it like a backpack and will set you back £80.
A years UFC fight pass subscription
One of the best gifts you could get a fight fan is tickets to an event. Nothing quite beats the atmosphere of being in the room on fight night. But, with the pandemic putting a stop to being able to attend most live events, we need alternatives. The UFC Fight Pass service is the Netflix of fighting, featuring a huge library of past events from a range of different combat sports (including UFC PPV cards being added shortly after the events) there’s really something for every fight fan, all available for £72 a year.
Egg weights
Egg weights are another brand that’s become popular pretty recently. With shadowboxing being the only striking training some people have been able to do for stretches of 2020 it makes sense that you might want to up the intensity and build up your shoulder endurance a the same time. A lot of people just use light dumbbells, but egg weights have filled in the gap with a product specifically designed for the purpose. Built to sit in your hand, with a loop to secure it to your finger, they’re the ideal accompaniment to home training sessions and warming up when gyms open back up. Price varies depending on the weight you’re after but start from around $30.
A mouthguard
While sparring might be hard to do in a lot of places at the moment there’s always value in being prepared, and everyone appreciates protecting their winning smile. There’s a fair few options out there, and we’ve reviewed a few ourselves, but personal preference would be one of the thin boil and bite options like this one from sisu, available for under £30.
T-Shirt
Everyone needs fresh training tops, and there’s a lot of cool t-shirts available from many different brands. We;ve previously made some recommendations on tops for fight fans (but you can also check out our own range at FQ Clothing).
Skipping rope
Sticking to the theme of gifts that are useful for training solo but will still be great when gyms are fully reopened, a skipping rope is a brilliant gift and highly versatile training tool. Push the challenge to another level with something like the Fairtex ROPE 1, which we’ve tested before, and is a serious, arm-burning cardio workout for just £18.
Glove deodorisers
Nothing worse than gloves that absolutely stink (especially if you’ve just given someone a brand new pair of high end gloves, as included higher up this list), but not many people worry about making sure they’re keeping their gloves as fresh as possible. Glove deodorisers are an often forgotten purchase that always make an excellent gift – the gold standard are from No Stink and cost £6 a pair.
We know this isn’t an exhaustive list of products that you could consider for christmas, but hopefully it provides a few good ideas! If you think we’ve missed anything, or there’s anything special on your christmas list, then let us know in the comments!