UFC And Reebok Introduce Athlete Outfitting Policy
A few months ago, it was announced that the UFC had signed a huge deal with Reebok. The deal made Reebok the official apparel company of the UFC and it was also made clear that Reebok would be the company creating the UFC’s all new uniforms that will debut this upcoming July. When the news broke, the reaction from the MMA community, especially the fighters, was very mixed.
Some fighters were quite angry by the deal and criticized it, unhappy that they will no longer be allowed to sport their current sponsor’s logos at fights and other UFC events. They argued that this would take a huge chunk of money away from their fight night earnings.
Other fighters were actually happy about the deal, as the UFC made it clear that the profits from the deal would go directly to the fighters themselves to replace the sponsorship income they will be losing. We don’t exactly know what percentage each fighter will make, but the UFC has said that the plan to pay each fighter based on that certain fighter’s spot in the rankings, meaning higher ranked fighters would earn more.
Some fighters were also happy with the deal because they felt as if the uniforms would make MMA even more of a mainstream sport, like football so to say.
While there are many details that we still don’t know, Bleacher Report has received a copy of the official policy detailing how the uniforms will work. Check out some of the main points below:
“1. Ranked fighters will get to pick their color scheme first, with the higher ranked fighter getting first selection if he/she faces another ranked opponent. Same colors can not be used. Unranked fighters will work with matchmakers to select colors.
2. Each fighter and their cornermen will be issued official Reebok gear upon arrival of host city. Product will include a gym bag, hoodie, T-shirt, workout shorts, weigh-in shorts, weigh-in walkout sweatpants, weigh-in T-shirt, weigh-in walkout hoodie, weigh-in hat, underwear, socks and shoes. Women will also be issued sports bras.
3. If any fighter or a member of their corner refuses to wear the issued gear, they will assessed a penalty which includes a fine and possibly removal from the event.
4. Fighters must wear Reebok-issued gear during all UFC sponsored events including open workouts, media day, weigh-ins and press conferences. A fighter can opt to wear business or business casual attire to the press conference instead of the issued gear.
5. A fighter is responsible for lost merchandise and/or replacement costs.
6. Fighters are paid by the UFC within 10 business days of their fight. Fighters are paid based on the UFC fighter pay scale and their official ranking at the time of weigh-in.
7. The UFC logo is not to be covered and no other logo and/or sponsor can be visible while UFC has the option to add another sponsor/logo to the attire.
8. All headphones worn by fighters must be supplied by “Monster.”
9. After each fight, the fighter is required to select one piece of their official walkout gear-the product they physically wore to the Octagon (not including underwear) and return it to the UFC equipment manager.
10. Fighters must also wear Reebok apparel for any UFC-produced show including, Embedded, UFC Tonight, UFC Countdown, Ultimate Insider and The Ultimate Fighter. “
There is no still details as to how much each fighter will earn, but this policy does shed some light on how the uniforms will work. The report also made it clear that a portion of the profits will be given to “Fight for Peace”, which is a nonprofit organization that aims to use both boxing and martial arts along with education to help personal development in troubled communities.
The UFC has also announced that they have created an all new Equipment Department that will be at every fight card. The department will include an equipment director, three equipment managers, and an equipment coordinator to make sure everything goes well.
Does this new policy change your opinion on the UFC’s uniform deal?
