UFC 189 will serve as the first glimpse of the UFC’s new look upon signing an exclusive deal with sport’s apparel giant Reebok.
The contentious new athletic outfitting policy, worth an estimated $70 million over six years, goes into effect July 11th and will make Reebok the sole sponsor of UFC fighters inside of the cage.
The deal has sparked much debate within the MMA world, following comments from many UFC fighters and media alike criticizing the partnership as a bad deal that will take much needed sponsorship money out of fighter’s pockets.
Dana White, UFC President, sounding more like a politician than president of a fight organization these days, has insisted over and over again that the deal is good for fighters. He told media following a press conference this week that featured an unveiling of the new “fighter kits”, that the sponsorship deal is in the best interest of the fighters.
“This is the best thing in the world, not only for the UFC, for the athletes in the sport. These guys get paid every time they go out and fight in the Reebok gear. Reebok is sponsoring a lot of the athletes. This could end up being – There could be a Michael Jordan in this group that ends up with a long-term relationship with Reebok,” White said.
Though the Reebok deal will provide UFC fighters with compensation, it will be on a per fight basis, as opposed to the monthly stipend that fighters have grown accustomed to through seeking out their own sponsorship. Payments from the new deal will follow a tier structure based on combined UFC/WEC fights;
Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, the reality of the Reebok deal is this – The UFC needs stars.
In signing the exclusive apparel deal, the UFC is investing in the advertising capabilities of a global sports apparel company in Reebok who can offer previously existing and established connections already in place in the markets the UFC is attempting to enter.
Major foreign markets like Brazil, Mexico and Europe will be largely more accessible by the advertising efforts and abilities of Reebok, which the UFC are currently lacking the reach to accomplish on their own, lending to prolonged entries into foreign markets.
Through the deal, UFC fighters will be featured on Reebok sponsored commercials and ads throughout the world and thus broadcast into the mainstream of not just the sports world, but mainstream society – a feat the UFC has often struggled with.
The venture is new territory for the UFC and bringing the UFC to the mainstream masses is what Dana White and company have been fighting for since buying the UFC in 2001.
In the past, the UFC has relied largely on fan support to build their stars.
Major pay-per-view draws like Anderson Silva or George St. Pierre ascended to their level of stardom through having the support of their respective countries to propel them in to the spotlight.
Those days, however, are a thing of the past.
It could be argued that the relationship between the UFC and their fans has become tenuous at best.
As they grow bigger, and have more to lose, the UFC has become a much more guarded business, with president Dana White rarely making the candid interactions with fans and media he was once known for.
Couple that with the bad last few years for the UFC that have seen numerous drug-test failures, legal troubles, and a hesitance to get excited for fights anymore due to injury postponements, and it is hard for UFC fans to get trust in fighters the way they once did.
Another factor to consider is the era of legends in the UFC is coming to an end.
Following the self-imposed departure of GSP, Silva’s drug failure and Jon Jon’s legal battles, as well as veteran mainstays such as Lyoto Machida, Dan Henderson, and Urijah Faber – to name a few – all nearing the end of their careers – with the exception of Ronda Rousey, and Conor McGregor – the UFC is arguably lacking star power more than ever.
Whether or not the UFC’s partnership with Reebok will be successful in supplying a new avenue for creating stars will likely depend on Reebok’s true commitment to the sport.
For Reebok the deal is just as much an opportunity for them to attach their name as the exclusive apparel outfitter to the fastest growing sport in the world, and thus an excellent advertising opportunity that comes with a fairly cheap price tag.
Unfortunately, if the initial unveiling of the fighter kits is any indication, where it was pointed out that numerous fighters had their names misspelled and/or wrong , it doesn’t appear they are taking their partnership with the UFC or their fighters seriously at all.
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