The dust has far from settled from the impact of this week’s announcement that the UFC would enter into an exclusive apparel/uniform deal with Reebok but there are already ripples being felt in the MMA world. Whether this deal is a boon or a bust for UFC fights remains to be seen. Additionally, it is not yet known how this agreement will impact the numerous apparel companies and sponsors who relied on fighter exposure to help push their product.
Curious to hear what an apparel company’s thoughts were on this landmark deal I reached out to Crusade Combat MMA owner Hal Brock for his perspective on the UFC/Reebok deal. Crusade Combat MMA is an apparel company based in North Texas that has sponsored a number of local fighters. Brock is no stranger to the frustrations of trying to obtain exposure in the world of mixed martial arts and while his company is not on the level of, say, TapouT, Crusade Combat MMA has had to overcome many of the same challenges.
“I need to really break down the deal at its entirety before I can truly give my final verdict,” muses Brock. “Though, from the initial outside appearance I think the deal the UFC made with Reebok will be an amazing lift to the entire sport of MMA. If you look at all the other ‘professional’ sports, they are all very structured. We’re not all planning our Tuesday nights around the local professional Hurst Lions vs Frisco Jets football game like we are on the game between the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. The UFC beat everyone to the punch; they are the “Major Leagues” of mixed martial arts if you will. By teaming with FOX Sports, they slowly started to introduce our amazing beloved sport to a new audience. This deal with Reebok only brings more brand awareness, more fans, and they’re going to be paying a sort of salary type structure that these professional athletes very much need.”
Brock continues, “During the fights, your specific logo broken down to actual visible TV/pay per view time to a limited audience (for now) doesn’t do all that much. Now, I don’t know all the ins and outs of not being able to wear sponsored apparel throughout fight week. It makes sense at all UFC events, weigh-ins, press conferences, etc., but there are other ways to get noticed with your fighters during fight week. Companies right now that are in it, have had it easy with low commitments to fighters, and letting other people do “their” marketing for them. Now, they have to work.”
Details of the UFC/Reebok deal have not been fully disclosed but what is known is that fighters will be prohibited from wearing any other apparel other then specific Reebok “fight week gear” and special “fight night kits.” This obviously will impact the great number of apparel manufactures who regularly outfitted fighters entering the cage.
I asked Brock how an apparel manufacture could manage to market their wears in light of this ban.
“For apparel companies not much has changed, minus for the fancy styling’s of Affliction and TapOut, and one or two more companies,” states Brock. “To get into the UFC before this deal was not an easy task. It takes a lot of pull, the right timing, and a whole lot of money that not many companies have leftover. I doubt the likes of Nike, with the couple of fighters they had, are too worried either. There are still tons of fight promotions that are continuing to gain popularity, that need sponsor money, that count on sponsors to help pay the fighters because they can’t afford large purses during pro shows. This is nothing but a compliment and I hope it only comes across as that, but you have what I would say are your Triple A affiliates like Legacy Fighting Championships that have great audiences due to their deals with AXS TV and [Bellator] with Spike TV respectively. If you have a business that is national you still have those avenues along with a whole slew of local and other mid-major promotions that catch large audiences.”
“The most fun, though, are the fight promotions that happen in your area. We are fortunate enough to be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so we get a ton of great shows from Legacy FC who are an awesome host and have been to our fighters Casey “Shooter” Williams” and Eliazar “el Oso” Rodriguez, and then two of my favorites with Xtreme Knockout out of Arlington, TX and Rashad “DayWalker” Coulter. Soon, hopefully, we can have Coda “Navajo Kid” Yazzie and Premier Fight Series who had UFC’s up and coming Paige Van Zant on a card along with UFC’s Chas Skelly.”
Brock is adamant that companies are going to have to step their game up in light of these hurdles.
“You still have all your social media outlets, and now you get to be more creative and have more fun,” explains Brock. “Shoot a YouTube video with your fighters instead of a commercial, have autograph signings…right now is a cool time to get involved because with Reebok taking over the UFC now you get to help grow the sport by trying to grab the leftover audiences.”
But, will a deal such as the one the UFC struck be the death knell for many companies out there who sponsored fighters? Brock believes so.
“Yes, people will panic will turn to other main stream sports or audiences,” said Brock. “That marketing money will go away for some with MMA and where it’s a bummer but maybe we didn’t want those companies involved in our sport. If you don’t love MMA enough to find a way to stay relevant and have fun, rather love being around it, then so long for now, we will see you again when you find us relevant again. If you want to stay around and you just don’t know what you can do, or you are too lazy to try then hit me up on the Crusade Combat Facebook Page. Attention the message to me, and I can come aboard as a consultant to help…for a nominal fee of course.”
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