There are a lot of mma shorts out there, with all kinds of features and gimmicks. Everything from special clsoure systems to 4-way stretch material. With that said I have always been a fan of Sprawl, and they have now come out with their latest pair of shorts, the Fusion II Stretch Series. I will have a review coming up of these, but I wanted to give you a look at some of the things that have updated. Here is a list straight from Sprawl.

Our latest evolution is another step forward in design and performance.  With a new distinctive look, the Fusion 2 delivers unmatched durability and features:

• A wider waistband for increased comfort and stability.
• A repositioned side slit to reduce ride up when working from the guard.
• Heavier construction for a new standard of durability.

Here it is almost the end of 2010 and I know what you are thinking. I have all this extra cash left over after Christmas and I need to buy some new mma gear. Well what are you waiting for? There is tons of great gear out there and I am going to take you through what I think is some of the best of the year. Whether you are thinking shorts or gloves, mouthguard or gi, or ever just a new hoodie I got you covered. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy a look at what I think are the best of 2010, and with 2011 coming up I can not wait to see what is just around the corner.

I think the best way to do this is I am going to present this in portions… first up shorts.

SHORTS

Every one of us that is a hardcore gear addict knows this is the staple of our addiction. You can never have too many pairs of mma shorts. I know that I can’t, and just continue to get them no matter how many pairs that I have. As new stuff comes out, I must have to have it. These are just a couple examples of the shorts that I have reviewed that I think are ones that you should not live without.

Sprawl Fusion-S Shorts  

These are really some of the best shorts out on the market. With almost every key feature combined into one short this is surely not a pair that you will want to pass up.
Click here to go to my review of Sprawl Fusion S Shorts

Clinch Gear Elite Shorts

I am sure that you have seen these around. They are some of the best shorts out there. With top notch quality and customer service to match these shorts should not be passed up on.
Click here to go to my review of Clinch Gear Elite Shorts

Jaco Resurgence MMA Fight Shorts

One of the most innovative shorts out there. These will be sure to get you through those long workouts, and hey they are Jaco so you really cant go wrong. Speaking of Jaco be sure and check out there vale tudo shorts.
Click here to go to my review of Jaco Resurgence MMA Fight Shorts

Hayabusa Competition White Shiai Fight Shorts

I just finished my review of these and they are a last minute addition just due to how good these shorts are. Really a fantastic pair of shorts that should not be overlooked.
Click here to go to my review of Hayabusa Competition White Shiai Fight Shorts

Now for the underdog pair of shorts….

PrimeTime Ltd Edition Fight Shorts

You know these are really a very quality pair of shorts. With really nothing wrong with them, they are extremely hard to pass us. Be sure if you are looking to get some new shorts you take a look at these.
Click here to go to my review of PrimeTime Ltd Edition Fight Shorts

Feel like there is something that I should add? Maybe you think your shorts should be here. Well do not feel bad. These are just the ones that I really feel like were ahead of the others. Plenty of other sections to go so don’t get your jockstrap in a bind just yet.

Per Manufacturer-

SPRAWL has brought the same engineering and innovation that has revolutionized fight short designs since 2002 to create the new SPRAWL Gi-Flex Gi Pants. The Gi-Flex has offers BJJ players the best features that have existed in the SPRAWL MMA shorts, including:

First Impression- When I first got these I was very impressed with how they looked. They felt very light, but durable and the closure system was like sprawl shorts. Could not wait to try them on.

Construction- The construction of these gi pants is great. There was no loose threads and all of the stitching is done very well. They have stretch panel in the crotch similar to sprawl fight shorts as well as a pocket on the inside of the waistband. While I am mentioning the waist band it is the exact same setup as their sprawl fusion s shorts. It is a standard hook and loop style that uses elastic for plenty of adjustability and a drawstring. The waistband also has a small piece of rubber the lines the entire way around and provides that extra bit of grip. These pants are manufactured in China and are made out of 98% cotton and 2% stretch fabric. All of the logos on them are embroidered.

Fit- I have received plenty of emails on the fit of these and there is a good reason for that as it can be a little tricky. Sprawl does have a chart on their website which shows what size you should order. The way that I tried to get the best size was to get the correct size in the waist and go from there. I choose a medium based on the shorts that I have received from sprawl and when I got them the waist was perfect, but they were a little too long. Luckily these pants can shrink up to 3 inches using the dryer. After a couple tries I got these at just length that I wanted them. It depends on how you like your gi pants. The inside of these pants have a mesh lining inside of them which is suppose to keep the pants from sticking to your legs. I don’t in general have this problem with gi pants so I can not really say whether it works or not compared to normal gi pants. I cant say though that these pants did not stick to my legs.

Training- I used these for several weeks trying all sort of different techniques. First I would like to say that these pants did not disappoint. They are an extremely comfortable pair of pants to wear while training. Like I mentioned before they did not stick to me at all when training. I would not consider them an extremely lightweight pair of pants. My favorite feature of these is the waistband. I like how much adjustability there is and also how snug it stays around your waist. With some gi pants in the past I have had them shifting from side to side around my waist, but due to sprawls channel lock system this was not an issue with these pants. I however did not notice much difference with the stretch panel in the crotch. I am not a big guy and I feel maybe people who are bigger then me might benefit more from the stretch panel. I did not have kind of problems with any sort of technique and overall the gi pants felt very comfortable while training. They did not bind up and the material feels very durable.

Pros-

*Great Construction

*Lots of adjustability with sizing

*Embroidered Logos

Cons-

*Fit can be tricky at first

*Did not notice stretch panel

Overall- I am glad that I got a chance to use these as the are an excellent pair of gi pants. With some innovative features I think sprawl is headed in the right direction with these. I know that I have always been looking for a pair of gi pants that has so much adjustability plus the waistband of a pair of some of the best fight shorts on the market. If you are looking for a new pair of gi pants I strongly recommend taking a look at these. You can get these for right around $75, but sprawl does have a trade in program right now where you can send them your old gi pants and that knocks the price tag to right around $55. However that is a limited time offer so get them quick.

(Highly Recommended)

Click here to buy Sprawl Gi-Flex Gi Pants

**Disclaimer** I received these at no cost for the purpose of review and received no payment from the company to do the review.

Just wanted to first off apologize for the lack of updates in the last couple weeks. I have not been feeling real well. Anyway enough of that, I am back on track and just wanted to give you a preview of some of the reviews I got coming up through the next couple weeks.

Sprawls Gi-Flex

CageSide MMA Diablo MMA Shorts

Badboy Vale Tudo Shorts

Ring to Cage Hybrid Training Gloves

ClinchGear Pro Series MMA Shorts

 and many more….

I will also have an article which features what I think are the top eight mma shorts out and an interview/feature with fitness competitor and MMA practitioner Laria Corney. So keep your eyes open for what I got coming and be ready because as always I feature the hottest products in mma with only the best reviews.

Here is a look at sprawl’s newest edition which is a new market for them. These are their GI pants. They have tons of features and unlike most websites I have actual pictures of these pants and will be doing a full review. I can tell you they look even better in person and the quality is amazing just like you always get with sprawl. Here is what Sprawl has to say

We have brought the same engineering and innovation that has driven our fight short designs since 2002 to create the new SPRAWL Gi-Flex gi pants. The Gi-Flex has all the best features we introduced to the MMA world in our shorts designs including:

• A real adjustable waistband system with a drawstring, fly and Velcro closures. 
• Our Channel Lock inner waistband providing stability in the most demanding training and competition situations. 
• A Flex Panel crotch to enhance performance and flexibility. 
• Mesh lined legs keep the pants from sticking to you while sweating. 

SPRAWL has once again raised the bar with our MMA inspired gi pant—the Gi-Flex! 

Click here to buy Sprawl Gi-Flex Pants

 

Per Manufacture- Rethink Your Rashguard. You hear a lot about moisture wicking shirts, now feel the difference of moisture repelling shirts. While most rash guards are designed to keep your sweat away from your body, they do very little to keep your training partner’s sweat off of you. The SPRAWL Repeller does just that. The Repeller fabric is treated at the fiber level so that it never absorbs moisture making it sweat and blood repellent. This also makes for a very fast drying garment. These properties make the SPRAWL Repeller especially well designed for contact sports such as grappling and wrestling. This Repeller fabric is soft, comfortable and breathable with a little bit of stretch. It has an athletic cut making it not too loose and not too tight. The new SPRAWL repeller is a unique advancement to traditional rashguards. This enhancement makes them the perfect protective garment for grapplers and MMA athletes.

First Impression- When I first pulled this rashguard out I noticed that it was nice and thick. I also like the fact that it had very small logos and a clean look to it. Also the seams were well done and felt like it was going to be durable.

Construction- The feel of this rashguard is unlike any other I have. Most feel like spandex where as this one just has a nice soft feel to it. It is made out of 100% nylon and has excellent stretching ability. It is made here in the United States so of course that’s going to be a pro for it. All stitching is done very well and has no loose threads. The one and only logo it has however is screen printed so we will see how long that lasts.

Fit- The fit of this rashguard is good. Unlike most rashguards which are skin tight this one has more of a loose feel to it which I liked. I ended up going with a medium which is perfect causing it to not be too loose. It stays in place well and as long as it is tucked in your shorts does not ride up. One thing I did notice however is I could definitely notice I was wearing it. Not in an annoying way just could always feel it moving with me. I did mange to stay fairly cool and not over heat like I have with some of the skin tight rashguards I own.

Stand up- This rashguard works excellent in the stand up game. It allows plenty of range of motion and really feels very natural while wearing it. Something I noticed about it is how fast it dries. I could easily have this thing soaked and it a matter of 10 minutes would be almost completely dry again. The repeller fabric does exactly what it says it does, and because of the fact that it is a loose fit rashguard it did not rid up of shift at all.

Ground- I really got to see what this rashguard was all about once I used it for ground work. Normally when wearing a rasguard on the ground it becomes soaking wet both you and your partners sweat. Well it did get wet with my partners sweat but only on the outside. I could actually see the beads of sweat that would appear on the outside of the rashguard. Now while I would think that would make it not breath so well I would be wrong. Keeps me just the right temperature. It felt good while wearing it but like I said before I could feel it was there. That is the one place where the tight fitting rashguards have this one beat. Other then that it did not ride up or shift.

Pros-

*Excellent Construction

*Quick drying

*Good fit

Cons-

*Screen Printed logo

*Plain looks could be bad to some

Overall- This is an excellent rashgaurd. If you are in the market for a new one or are just looking to add another piece of gear to your collection this is definitely a product I can recommend. The price of this rashgaurd is about $53.

Click here to buy Sprawl Repeller Rashguards

There is also a short sleeve version available

 
**Disclaimer** I received this at no cost for the purpose of review

Per Manufacture-

- A fusion of the most advanced features, fabrics and technology.

 - The only non-slip waistband that provides full range adjust ability

- the drawcord locks it in place.

- Advanced lightweight 4-way stretch fabric.

- Sweat and blood repellent.

- Fungus resistant.

- Improved fit

- Fabric guaranteed for the life of the garment

First Thoughts- These shorts came in an envelope and when I pull them out they were in there own plastic bag. I loved the way these shorts looked and could not wait to get them out. Colors are great and I could already see the quality.

Fit and Finish- I got a 30 in these shorts like I always do and they fit perfect. They have and elastic waistband like previous models which is one of my favorite things about sprawl shorts. These sprawls do however have a slightly different fit to them. They are less baggy which I thought is a welcome change. I would still get your jean size in these as they still fit very well. First thing that I noticed was this rubber thing going around the inside of the waistband. I also noticed the upgrade drawstring and that there are few to no loose threads. When putting them on unlike previous sprawls I did have to undo the Velcro fly due to the waistband not quite stretching as much. I believe this is due to the rubber strip that is now on it which was not that big of a deal to me. The fabric is a 4 way stretch and has tons of give to it plus with the stretch panel in the crotch and split seams these shorts have a huge range of motion. All of the logos are embroidered. The shorts fall just about mid knee level.

Stand up- These shorts work great for stand up. With all of the flexibility of these shorts the range of motion was perfect. Also I noticed the rubber strip in them made them snug around my waist. There was no rid up or shifting around the waist. They felt light and wicked moisture away well without holding it in the shorts. Had no problems throwing high kicks, knees or any other technique.

Ground- Great for the ground as well. I also noticed with the new cut of these shorts that the legs tended to rid up less which was one of my only complaints of previous generations. Once again the rubber in waist kept the shorts very snug around my waist and there was no shifting of riding up there. Had no problems with any sort of technique and the shorts felt very comfortable on the ground.

Pros-

*Elastic waistband

*Rubber strip in waist

*New Fit

*4 way material

*Overall Quality

Cons-

*Had to undo the Velcro fly to put on(I know not a big deal)

*Can be a little too tight around waist

Overall- These are a great pair of shorts from sprawl. The fit is almost perfect and the craftsmanship of these is top notch. If you like shorts that have the elastic waistband I would say these are the ones to get and can be had for around $56. I highly recommend these.

Click here to buy Sprawl Fusion-S Shorts

**Disclaimer** I received these at no cost for the purpose of review