Choosing the right gear is important however when it comes to choosing protective equipment like headgear, mouth guard, and MMA groin guard, it becomes even more important. After all, these protect your physical health and I am sure that none of you would like to leave it a chance.
I have been in many boxing and MMA gyms and also have a lot of sparring experiences and I know what cups are good and what qualities are needed in MMA cups. I also researched a lot of forums, verified buyer reviews etc. Shortly I did my homework and came up with 5 best cups for MMA. Below, you can find the overviews of these and also all of them have sizing information at the product pages.
Let’s start with the overview of the best one
1. Diamond MMA Athletic Cup Groin Protector & Compression Short
Durability: 9.7 / 10.0
Comfort: 9.6 / 10.0
Quality / Price Rating: 9.5 / 10.0
Best Place to Buy: Amazon
Exclusive Features
- Amazing protection
- Top notch materials (military grade)
- Very comfy
- Does not move around
- Cup has soft edges
- Very easy to wear and take it off
- The best protective cup for MMA
Firstly, Diamond MMA Athletic Cup is made of military grade materials and the cup is made of bulletproof materials. Yes, you read it right and the system holds the cup in place. With that, it has soft edges so when you get hit, it moves a bit, however, your nerves do not get hurt.
The compression short is also comfy and lets air in and out. So your lower body will stay cool during sparring.
There are many people, who are forum members and verified buyers, are extremely satisfied with it.
If you want to read more details about this amazing guard, you can have a look at the review for more information or you can get your own Diamond MMA Athletic cup according to sizing information below.
Small 28-32″
Medium 32-34″
Large 34-36″
X-Large 36-40″
2X-Large 40-44″
2. Diamond MMA Athletic Cup Groin Protector & Four-Strap No Shift Jock
Durability: 9.3 / 10.0
Comfort: 9.6 / 10.0
Quality / Price Rating: 9.5 / 10.0
Exclusive Features
- Amazing protection
- Top notch materials (military grade)
- Very easy to wear and take it off
- The most quality cup with strap system
This one is people who look for strap system without a compression short. This is actually made by same quality (military grade) materials by Diamond and it simply does not allow you to feel any impact whatsoever. It also has the same design of the cup above and has amazing ratings as well.
It is very easy to wear and take it off and the straps are not rigid which is a plus since I have a very sensitive skin and I always check these materials, which will contact my skin, before I get it.
Considering the military grade materials, you can expect to wear this cup around 2-3 years.
If you are interested, have a look at the verified customer reviews on Amazon for more information.
3. Shock Doctor Men’s Core Compression Short with Bio-Flex Cup
Durability: 9.0 / 10.0
Comfort: 8.9 / 10.0
Quality / Price Rating: 9.4 / 10.0
Exclusive Features
- Good protection
- Good material quality
- Very comfy
- Cheapest short type guard which has a decent quality
- Gets good feedback for training performance
- Incredibly popular
According to my research, Shock Doctor is the most sold compression short with a cup on the market. It gives complete freedom and gets good ratings for training performance. It uses 4-way stretch material for short and I also used MMA short which has the same quality and it worked just well.
The cup is also sturdy and positioned a bit lower for “natural fit” and according to me, this is why Shock Doctor became really popular. You can see that many people (verified buyers) all over the internet just loved this quality of Shock Doctor.
The cup has two mesh panels and when you consider the cup’s material quality, you can be sure that your groin area won’t get sweaty much 😉
With that, it is made of synthetic leather and you can expect to use Shock Doctor Compression Short with Bio-Flex Cup around 2 years. Also when you see the price, you will realize how great quality price ratio it offers.
4. Lo Bloo – The Thai Cup 2.0
Durability: 8.8 / 10.0
Comfort: 8.5 / 10.0
Quality / Price Rating: 9.8 / 10.0
Exclusive Features
- Ergonomic design
- Very good protection
- Developed by athletes
- Money back guarantee
- Washable
- Has the greatest quality price ratio
The company’s motto is “no more pain from low blows” and well it seems like the company managed to achieve that. Because there is a myriad of people who wear this groin guard in MMA sparring gyms and they gave incredible ratings for Lo Bloo.
The cool thing is that Lo Bloo is actually developed by Swedish athletes (mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, kickboxing) and has a good and very ergonomic design. It is not bulky and you will feel like nothing is on you.
As you can guess these people gave great importance for you to get good performance from it.
It is washable so you can just clean it anyway you prefer.
As a final note, if you don’t like this guard, you can return it and you can get a full refund. However, considering the quality I really doubt this will happen.
5. Shock Doctor Ultra Pro Supporter Jockstrap w/ Ultra Cup
Durability: 8.5 / 10.0
Comfort: 8.5 / 10.0
Quality / Price Rating: 9.1 / 10.0
Exclusive Features
- Good quality materials
- Flexible outer layer
- Comfy and gets rid of sweat effectively
- Very easy to wear and take it off
- Cheapest guard which has a good quality
This cup is made of carbon and provides very good comfort. As you may know, carbon is one of the most commonly used materials in groin guards.
With that, you get two layers of protection.
The first layer softens the blow and the second layer is made of a really sturdy material which completely absorbs it. Also, the outer layer helps inner layer to stay in place. It is a simple yet effective design.
This cup has soft edges and due to the design, it does not move much. So when you roll on the mats, it does not cause any discomfort and stays still.
Shock doctor also gave great importance for comfort and the used materials are suitable for providing comfort. The mesh panel can stretch and provides good airflow in the cup.
I actually get this one purely from forum members’ experiences and it gets quite good feedbacks from many places which I completely trust.
If you are on a budget, Shock Doctor is a good guard for MMA and it is a really solid choice.
How to Choose the Best Cup for MMA?
Safety: First of all, the used materials should be solid and the most commonly used quality material is polycarbonate for cups. It is not too rigid and absorbs the shock incredibly well. Actually, the first two guards on this list are also made of this material. Secondly, the guard should not move a lot while you get hit or roll on the ground. So, shortly it needs to have a good design. However, you may ask “How can I understand it?”. Well, you need to look at real reviews and verified purchase reviews on shopping sites which I always consider before making a list. Thirdly, edges of a cup should not be rigid. This is actually overlooked by many MMA companies and even though a cup absorbs the shock well, if it has rigid edges, it can jeopardize your health.
Even though you are not supposed to get hit around the groin area during sparring, you will get hit. So it is really important to wear a quality and protective guard during sparring sessions.
What is the best type of cup for MMA? According to authoritative figures, forums and my experiences, the best type is compression short with a built-in cup. After all, only cup system, which has only straps, will get loose and this situation lowers the durability of guards. If you consider the quality compression shorts with cups, these stay in place better, provide complete freedom and this type is also easy to wear and generally, you can adjust it with a waistband.
Training Performance and Comfort: Groin guards should not restrict your movement and allow good airflow. Otherwise, bacteria can invade your guard.
All MMA cups on this list have these qualities above and more. These also get quite good feedbacks for the training performance and comfort. I also have direct and indirect (my friends and trainers) experiences with some of them.
Final Thoughts
If you have anything to share or ask about any of these protective cups, please leave a comment below.
I can only imagine the pain one would feel if hit in that area without having the best protection. The Diamond MMA Quad Strap seems to give the most flexibility and freedom out of the four you reviewed. Skin irritation is another concern which this product addressed as well. Is this product only for MMA or can it be used for football as well?
I have never played football with it but the product description says that it is also suitable for football.
Very important! It is essential to protect these areas of our bodies and good gear matters! I love Shock Doctor. I have gotten equipment from them in the past and they never seem to disappoint.
Shock Doctor has really popular products on the market and I also have good experiences with the other products of the company.
Nice article on the type of cups to use. Cup comfort and protection are extremely important in the world of combat. I am a big fan of the shock doctor myself I have used both number 3 and 5 on your list. Both super solid and comfortable. I know how durable the metal cups are, but could never really feel comfortable in them.
Shock Doctor focuses on protective gears and it does not surprise me that you used two of their products. The materials are quite good at shock absorbing and it is not too rigid and it will not hurt the soft tissue. However, you may want to prefer Diamond MMA, which has more elasticity thus provides more comfort, this time.
I like the cup protector and compression shorts option. Being made of bullet proof material is reassuring that a accidental bump to the groin won’t harm me. Is there an option that would prevent hip strain if you have a history of hip injuries?
I also liked how you included that the material is breathable. Because that logically is a concern. No one wants to wear something that can stop a bullet but not sweat.
I like the Cups with compression shorts as well. Because after you get hit, thanks to stretching quality of these shorts, the cups tend to stay in place.
I think you are talking about Diamond MMA and yeah that one can stretch a lot without any problem and the materials are top-notch. Basically, sides of it wick the moisture and if your legs sweat compression pants deal with that.
Yeah, I think it is really important that you need a good protective gear when doing MMA! Not that kind of money you should save if you are planning to do MMA in long-term! Just wondering, because I am not really involved in this sport (my husband does, though), do women need this kind of cups? Or like, something protecting the same area but not these cups? Sorry if I sound silly here, just wanting to know more!
Exactly, it is just a necessity to protect the groin area which is quite sensitive. I also don’t think of saving money while I buy protective gears like MMA headgears or mouth guards.
Women also need to wear one during regular training but the interesting is that women can wear a cup during professional matches. It is prohibited.