The Reebok Deal Has Ruined UFC

Ever since the partnership between UFC and Reebok took effect I have been very vocal about it on social media about how much I hate the deal. It’s been six months since it all started and guess what? I still hate it and for many reasons. I remember before this deal took place you saw a wide variety of different attires when fighters came out to the octagon. I also remember when fighters had shorts that suited their personality. It was fun to watch to see what company would represent a fighter. I don’t like that you don’t see fighter banners hung anymore when preparing for a fight. I don’t like the plain black and white basic trunks that you see every fighter wear. I also think it’s ridiculous that a fighter will get fined heavily if they don’t comply with the Reebok policy. Here are some examples:

-Rafael dos Anjos fined 10,000 for wearing another t-shirt that wasn’t Reebok
-Donald Cerrone fined 5,000 for having the American Flag stitched in his shorts.

The Reebok deal is for six-year, $70 million dollars. UFC executives say that fighters earne anywhere from $2,500 to $40,000 per fight to wear the Reebok brand. If that’s the case then explain why so many fighters are against it? I think their should be some sort of compromise. Fighters should be allowed to have sponsors and promote them but there should be limit. Look at NASCAR for example. Sometimes you hear more about the sponsors then you do the actual drivers. I’d like to hear about the fighters but would also like to know who invests their money into a fighter. I also think if a fighter wants to wear their country’s flag or their camps logo on their shorts they should be allowed to wear it without punishment.

I really hope when this deal runs out that the UFC will revert back to the way it use to be. One of the other reasons I think this was bad is because they totally screwed TapOut. Considering that TapOut was the sponsor of the UFC when the UFC didn’t have any sponsors. TapOut had awesome attire and made each fighter look unique. Now look at where TapOut is at. They had a form a partnership with WWE and totally reinvent themselves. It’s distasteful that the UFC was not loyal to the company who helped build their brand and their fighters.

So I ask you as a fan. What would you rather see?

Fighters under the Reebok Sponsorship

Fighters when they had their own sponsorships

Big difference isn’t there? Reebok has no personality in their trunk designs and then you see all these fighters with their respective look. Could you imagine any of these fighters in the Reebok gear? I couldn’t imagine fighters from 10 years ago walking out to plain black or white gear. I still love watching the UFC fights but it’s hard to keep my attention because all I see is black and white. Hopefully in 6 years we will see some colorful attire once again. Until then we have to deal with the boring UFC-Reebok partnership. Good riddance!

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