The UFC took a massive steppingstone into becoming a mainstream sport when it signed a six-year $70 million dollar agreement with Reebok. For fans not familiar with the Reebok deal, UFC fighters will now have to wear Reebok inside the Octagon, press conferences, and open workouts.
The payouts will be a sliding scale based on the number of fights that a fighter has had in the UFC. The payouts will range from $2,500 for debut fighters to $40,000 to champions. Fighters will also receive royalties on their personal apparel that is sold through Reebok.
Many have chastised the landmark deal. Fighters like Ryan Jimmo and Brendan Schaub have said that the deal slashes their sponsorship money. Schaub has been on the record saying that he lost six sponsors at UFC 181 because of the Reebok deal because he was not allowed to wear his original sponsors inside the cage. What Schaub forgot to mention is that fighters can still look for sponsors outside the cage. UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo still has his sponsorship with Venum. Chris Weidman and Alexander Gustafsson still have their sponsorships with Bad Boy as well.
MMA apparel companies will adapt to this new Reebok deal just like other apparel companies have with other sports. For example, JJ Watt has a sponsorship with Reebok despite Nike being the official uniform for the NFL. Companies like Reebok or Under Armour utilize professional athletes through their websites and commercials since players like Watt can’t wear Reebok on the field. MMA apparel companies will be sure follow suit.
Some fighters have claimed that they will lose sponsorship money but they must understand that this Reebok deal cleans up the sport immensely. If the UFC wants to be a mainstream sport, it has to look the part. The vast majority of the top mainstream sports in the United States have a uniform deal. Going back to the NFL example, All NFL players have to wear a standard team Nike jersey on the turf every Sunday since Nike is the official apparel company of the NFL. It’s clean, uniformed, and has a sense of professionalism.
The UFC-Reebok deal also eliminates inappropriate sponsor names all over the shorts of MMA fighters or banners. For example there is “Condom Depot” or “Dude Wipes” which is not what a potential new fan would want to see on television when they are watching MMA for the first time. The UFC is getting more eyes on their programming and so it should look like a mainstream sport.
Not to mention, fighters will get to focus much more attention to training for fights instead of having the burden to look for sponsors throughout their camps. Reebok will provide fighters with shorts, walkout tees, and other necessary gear for fighters to prepare for their fights.
So some fighters may take a hit to the new Reebok deal, but it is up to them and MMA apparel companies to adapt to this new uniform deal just like the other mainstream sports have. Fans and fighters alike should understand, this elevates the UFC into becoming a mainstream sport in the United States.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
