Alright, so the other day I was watching some UFC fights with my buddies, and it got me thinking – do these guys wear cups? I mean, they’re getting kicked and punched in all sorts of places, so it seems like a no-brainer, right?
So, I did what any curious person would do – I started digging around. Turns out, it’s not just a good idea, it’s a rule! Male UFC fighters have to wear groin protection. I guess it makes sense, you wouldn’t want to get a direct hit down there without any padding. I found out that there was even an incident way back in UFC 4 that made them put this rule in place. Crazy, right?
They can use any kind of protection they want, like a jockstrap and cup, as long as it gets the okay from the commissioner. Makes sense, gotta have some standards, I guess.
What I did to find this
- First, I just straight up googled “do ufc fighters wear cups”. You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff that popped up.
- Then, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole reading about different types of groin protection. Who knew there were so many options?
- After that, I stumbled upon some articles about the history of the rules in UFC, which is how I found out about that UFC 4 incident.
Oh, and get this – female fighters are actually not allowed to wear groin protection. I guess it’s a different set of rules for them. And from my research, umpires have a special cup, too, along with chest protectors and shin guards. It’s like, everyone’s getting in on the protection game.
While I was looking into all this, I also saw some stuff about “cupping therapy.” It’s not related to the protective cups, but it’s this thing where they put cups on your skin to create suction. Apparently, it’s supposed to help with pain and blood flow and stuff. People seem to be into it, but it’s not really my thing. It has nothing to do with UFC fighter’s protection cups.
Anyway, long story short, yeah, those UFC guys are definitely wearing cups. It’s a must-have to protect their family jewels. It is kinda funny when you think about it, but safety first, am I right?
