I was watching UFC Hits and noticed Tank Abbott was the first on that DVD to wear gloves when most people didn't.
Who was the first to wear gloves before it became a rule? Was that an original idea that changed MMA? Or did MMA style gloves always exist and someone such as Tank just started wearing them?
Dan Severn
Tank was the first I had seen to wear gloves.
Art Jimmerson
i think he was wearing century bag gloves and he just wanted to protect his hands
Tank wasn't trying to be nice by wearing those gloves thats for sure, he wanted to be able to swing for the fences without hurting his hands. He was the first one that I recall wearing the gloves, therefore he should have a certain place in the UFC Hall Of Fame.
Gary Hughes
Well, technically Art Jimmerson was the first since he wore one boxing glove in UFC 1. However, Steve Jennum was the first to wear MMA style gloves. He wore them because his job as a police officer would be compromised if he had to miss work from a hand injury sustained while competing in a combat event.
Best in Health and Training, J. R.
Actually Milton Bowen was the first to wear MMA style gloves in the UFC.
JRSFITNESS1 - Jennum didnt sport gloves until he fought Tank in the Ultimate Ultimate.
Were these MMA gloves we see today? Or were these home made personal hand protection, creating a demand for a MMA style glove?
This seems like one of the earliest major developments in the growth of MMA as a sport.
As for open finger gloves, Bowen was indeed the first. Tank was the second. Then others followed suit.
As I remember, they made a point of Tank having cut the fingers off of a pair of Jeet Kun Do gloves to wear into the octagon. He was mocking all the other fighters for not knowing enough to protect their hands.
Tank was the frist to wear gloves.
Tank was the reason for the "no fish hooking rule" (Tank VS Oleg)
Tank was the reason for the "no grabbing the fence"
(Tank VS Nelmark, sick KO. and Tank VS Jennum, cheeze grater submission)
Tank was the first 2 dimensional fighter (both heavy hands and a decent double leg, no submissions though. I guess Don Fry was the first 3 dimensional fighter).
Yes the sport has passed him by, but he was a big influence on its development.
Bullshit, Ryan G is correct, Melton Bowen was the first.
Tank gets a lot of shit here, but he was the first modern mma fighter. He revolutionized the sport almost as much as Royce did.
Tank combined wrestling and boxing skills. He was the first sucessfull two dimensional fighter. He also was the first to use the strategy of pushing the opponent into the fence, pinning them in the corner, and raining down blows to a ref stoppage/tap out/ko.
Frye and Ruas were also multi dimensional fighters that closely resembled modern MMA fighters, but they came after Tank. Tank was first.
Bowen was wearing the same Harbinger/Chuck Norris gloves that Tank wore.
bowen was the first.
Also, there were many 2 dimensional fighters before tank. Shamrock knew subs and could wrestle. Royce took a few people down and knew subs. Pat Smith had somewhat decent wrestling ability along with good striking and GnP. Shit even bart vale had good wrestling, standup, and some subs.
Bowen did it before Tank.
Tank is also responsible for the "no throwing your opponent out of the octagon" rule.
You all wrong
The prison gaurd who fought ken shamrock in ufc 3 was the 1st to wear open finger gloves.