The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced Tuesday a long-term deal with apparel company Reebok that will see the outfitter serve as the official provider for new UFC uniforms that will go into effect in 2015.
The announcement was made during a special press conference in New York City.
The uniform deal—first reported by Bleacher Report in January—has long been in the works.
It will go into effect beginning the week of July 6, 2015, and it will totally eliminate independent sponsorships in the UFC. Reebok will serve as the exclusive outfitter for all UFC apparel around the world, and nearly all of the money from the deal—which Dana White called the largest non-broadcast deal they’ve ever done—is allocated to the fighters.
The funds are allocated in a tiered system based on media rankings. Championship fighters will make the most, followed by tiers including fighters ranked 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and unranked fighters. The rankings are determined by a panel of media members, not the UFC.
Fighters will also receive 20 percent of royalties from merchandise sales from items with their name or likeness on them. This royalty will continue for the fighter’s lifetime, and will also include sales for veteran and retired fighters who are no longer with the UFC.
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told ESPN.com‘s Brett Okamoto:
We’ve done a lot of research over the last two or three years, trying to understand where the open market place is for fighters in various positions. Where they’re ranked, where they’re fighting on the card — how do sponsors determine (worth)? We feel like we’ve created a program that will pay them at least as much, and in some cases more than what they are currently making.
The deal also marks the end of fighter banners, which are hung behind corners during fighter introductions. Fighters’ cornermen will also be required to wear Reebok from head to toe.
More details about the deal will be added as they become available.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com