MMA Fight Shorts & No-Gi Gear for Bare Knuckle

When Dan Hooker’s 1 Minute Scraps series went fully bare knuckle in Christchurch for a $50,000 prize, fighters showed up in everything from board shorts to compression rashguards. It raised a real question for combat athletes training across disciplines: what MMA fight shorts and no-gi gear actually hold up when the gloves come off?

Whether you’re rolling no-gi, training bare knuckle striking, or crossing over between both, your gear choices directly affect performance. This guide breaks down the best MMA fight shorts, no gi rashguards, and combat gear for fighters who refuse to be limited to one discipline.

Why MMA Fight Shorts Matter More Than You Think

MMA fight shorts are the single most important piece of apparel for any combat athlete who trains across disciplines. In a 60-second bare knuckle round, you need shorts that allow full hip extension for powerful punches, deep sprawls during clinch work, and the explosive footwork that separates winners from first-round exits.

The same applies on the mat. No-gi grapplers need MMA fight shorts that won’t restrict guard retention, leg entanglements, or scrambles. The wrong pair—too long, too stiff, too many external snag points—will cost you positions.

What separates great MMA fight shorts from mediocre ones:

• Split-side or gusseted design — enabling unrestricted kicking, sprawling, and striking movement
• No pockets or external Velcro — these catch fingers during grappling and cause injuries
• Elastic waistband with internal drawstring — stays secure during explosive action without digging in
• Quick-dry polyester blend — essential when you’re sweating through a tournament bracket
• Reinforced stitching — bare knuckle fighters generate tremendous torque; cheap shorts blow out

At Dan Hooker’s NZ Scraps events, you see fighters wearing everything from basic board shorts to purpose-built MMA fight shorts. The ones who last longest tend to be the ones whose gear doesn’t get in the way.

👉 Shop fight shorts and grappling shorts →

No Gi Rashguards: Your Second Skin for Every Combat Sport

A quality no gi rashguard is the most versatile piece of combat sports gear you can own. For grapplers, it prevents mat burn, reduces staph infection risk, and wicks sweat so you don’t become a slippery mess mid-roll. For bare knuckle fighters, a compression rashguard during warm-ups and training provides muscle support that aids recovery and keeps your body primed for explosive action.

The crossover between no-gi grappling and bare knuckle fighting is real. Many fighters at NZ Scraps events have grappling backgrounds—the body awareness, conditioning, and mental toughness developed through no-gi training translate directly to standing combat. And when you train both, having a no gi rashguard that performs across disciplines isn’t just convenient—it’s essential.

What to look for in a no gi rashguard:

• 4-way stretch polyester/spandex blend for unrestricted movement
• Flatlock stitching to prevent chafing during intense sessions
• UPF 50+ protection for outdoor training (many bare knuckle events happen in backyards and open-air venues)
• Sublimated graphics that won’t peel or crack after hundreds of washes
• Long-sleeve for grappling (mat burn protection), short-sleeve for striking (less restriction)

👉 Browse our full collection of no-gi rashguards →

The Bare Knuckle / No-Gi Crossover: Same Gear, Different Arena

The bare knuckle resurgence isn’t happening in isolation. It’s part of a broader shift in combat sports toward stripped-down, no-nonsense competition—the same philosophy driving no-gi grappling’s explosive growth.

Consider the parallels:

• No uniforms, no traditions, just performance: Both no-gi and bare knuckle fighting reject the formal attire of their parent sports in favor of minimalism
• Grip-free combat: No-gi grapplers train to fight without fabric grips; bare knuckle fighters train without padded gloves. Both demand rawer, more fundamental technique
• Gear simplicity: You don’t need expensive equipment for either discipline. A no gi rashguard, a pair of MMA fight shorts, and a mouthguard will get you through both
• Social media-first growth: Just as no-gi grappling grew through ADCC and submission-only promotions, bare knuckle events like 1 Minute Scraps have exploded through viral content with 300+ million views

This crossover is why combat gear built for one discipline often works perfectly for the other. The MMA fight shorts you wear for rolling work for bare knuckle rounds. The no gi rashguard that protects you from mat burn keeps muscles warm between bare knuckle bouts.

Inside NZ Scraps: What Bare Knuckle Fighters Actually Wear

Dan “Hangman” Hooker’s 1 Minute Scraps has become the epicenter of New Zealand’s bare knuckle fighting movement. The format: 32 fighters, 60-second rounds, single-elimination bracket, $50,000 to the last fighter standing. The March 2026 edition in Christchurch went fully bare knuckle—no gloves, no wraps, just fists.

Walk through the crowd at any NZ Scraps event and you’ll see:

• Compression rashguards — providing muscle support and reducing mat burn during warm-ups
• MMA fight shorts / board shorts — allowing full range of motion for explosive strikes
• Compression shorts / Vale Tudo shorts — minimal, form-fitting for fighters who want nothing to grab
• Mouthguards — the only protective gear most fighters wear

The series has evolved through multiple editions: the original backyard edition with 300M+ views, the “Baddest Bitch” women’s edition co-promoted with Israel Adesanya, a “Convicts Only” edition, a “Daddest Man on the Planet” dad-bod edition, and now the fully bare knuckle format.

One standout fighter, Dhcamad Armstrong—a Kaikohe funeral director and Mormon father of two—won the $100K competition and has gone from backyard brawler to King in the Ring contender, proving that raw talent exists far outside traditional fight gyms.

Hand Protection Without Bare Knuckle Boxing Gloves

When the gloves come off, the concept of bare knuckle boxing gloves becomes a contradiction—but hand protection still matters for training. Bare knuckle fighters learn to strike with proper alignment, landing with the first two knuckles and keeping the wrist straight, because a broken hand means a lost tournament.

For crossover athletes who train both striking and grappling, hand protection in training looks like:

• Gel hand wraps for heavy bag work (protecting hands while developing bare knuckle technique)
• Traditional cotton wraps for pad work and sparring
• Knuckle conditioning tools like makiwara boards and rice buckets
• MMA sparring gloves (4oz) for controlled partner work before going fully bare

The discipline of bare knuckle striking—precision over power—translates to no-gi submission grappling. Both reward technique over brute force. You can’t swing wildly when there’s nothing between your bones and your opponent’s skull, just like you can’t muscle through a heel hook without technical precision.

Watch: Dan Hooker’s Bare Knuckle 1 Minute Scraps

Building Your MMA Fight Shorts and No-Gi Wardrobe

If you’re training across disciplines—bare knuckle, no-gi grappling, MMA, or all three—here’s the gear wardrobe that covers everything:

The Essentials:

• 2-3 no gi rashguards (long-sleeve for grappling, short-sleeve for striking)
• 2 pairs of MMA fight shorts (one for training, one for competition)
• 1 pair of compression/Vale Tudo shorts (for layering or standalone use)
• Quality mouthguard (custom-fitted if you’re competing)
• Hand wraps and gel knuckle guards for bag work
• Moisture-wicking base layers for cold-weather outdoor training

The fighters who perform best at events like NZ Scraps aren’t the ones with the flashiest gear. They’re the ones whose MMA fight shorts don’t ride up during a combination, whose no gi rashguard keeps muscles warm between rounds, and whose gear moves with them instead of against them.

👉 Gear up for no-gi and bare knuckle training →

The Future of Raw Combat Sports Gear

The bare knuckle resurgence in New Zealand mirrors broader trends in combat sports: the move toward raw, unfiltered competition. From police-monitored backyard events to professional BKFC promotions in the United States, bare knuckle fighting is forcing the combat sports industry to reconsider what “protection” really means.

For no-gi grapplers and MMA crossover athletes, this movement is an opportunity. The skills you develop on the mat—body awareness, timing, conditioning, mental toughness—transfer directly to bare knuckle competition. And the MMA fight shorts and no gi rashguards you already own are exactly what you need to step into the bare knuckle arena.

As Dan Hooker continues pushing the boundaries of grassroots combat sports and New Zealand lawmakers debate regulation, one thing is clear: the future of fighting is stripped down, raw, and unapologetic. Whether you’re chasing a $50,000 prize in a Christchurch gym or grinding through no-gi rounds at your local academy, the gear principles remain the same—compression, mobility, durability, and nothing that gets in the way of your technique.

The gloves are off. Make sure your MMA fight shorts and no gi rashguard are ready.