Demetrious Johnson’s Xbox sponsorship in limbo in UFC’s Reebok era

LOS ANGELES — Something will look a little different when Demetrious Johnson steps into the Octagon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

The UFC flyweight champion will attempt to make his seventh successful title defense when he rematches John Dodson in the main event of UFC 191.

But this will be his first fight since the UFC’s Reebok deal kicked in. Which means 1. He’ll be wearing Reebok’s UFC champion kit to the cage for the first time and 2. He’ll no longer be sponsored by Microsoft’s Xbox in the Octagon.

At a recent media event in downtown LA, Johnson told MMAFighting.com essentially, that his Xbox sponsorship is in limbo.

“I’m still in touch with them,” Johnson said. “If any opportunities come up, then if I fit that role I’ll be reached out. Other than that, it’s just not there.”

The problem with maintaining outside sponsorships in the Reebok era is that the sponsor’s big payoff came when their brand was displayed on television. While fighters can still do things like personal appearances outside of fight week, the sponsorship loses value if there aren’t hundreds of thousands of people watching.

“All the sponsors out there, they’re looking for that prime-time spot, that’s what they’re paying for,” Johnson said. “So if any, Bad Boy, Hayabusa, whatever’s out there, they’re looking for that prime spot. Of course they can do stuff outside the Octagon, but they’re going to make their big money inside the Octagon, that’s where they get the most viewers.”

That held true for “Mighty Mouse,” who implied he made more money from Xbox for his UFC on FOX fights than he did for his pay-per-view bouts.

“I’m happy about the Reebok thing,” Johnson said. “Just because at the end of the day, even though the Xbox deal was there, at the end of the day, I’d still have to negotiate stuff with those guys. Because, ‘is it going to be on PPV or is it on FOX?’ Believe it or not, Xbox loved it more when I was on FOX than PPV. Because there’s more viewers on FOX, it’s a bigger platform.”

In the end, Johnson is looking on the bright side, as chasing down sponsor money was a headache of the fight game most fans didn’t see. He knows he’s getting $40,000 from Reebok when he steps into the Octagon and that the checks won’t bounce.

“It’s a little more legit, where in the past, you hear from fighters,’ I haven’t gotten paid by my last sponsor,'” Johnson said. “There were times in the WEC I didn’t get paid from my sponsors. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

LOS ANGELES — Something will look a little different when Demetrious Johnson steps into the Octagon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

The UFC flyweight champion will attempt to make his seventh successful title defense when he rematches John Dodson in the main event of UFC 191.

But this will be his first fight since the UFC’s Reebok deal kicked in. Which means 1. He’ll be wearing Reebok’s UFC champion kit to the cage for the first time and 2. He’ll no longer be sponsored by Microsoft’s Xbox in the Octagon.

At a recent media event in downtown LA, Johnson told MMAFighting.com essentially, that his Xbox sponsorship is in limbo.

“I’m still in touch with them,” Johnson said. “If any opportunities come up, then if I fit that role I’ll be reached out. Other than that, it’s just not there.”

The problem with maintaining outside sponsorships in the Reebok era is that the sponsor’s big payoff came when their brand was displayed on television. While fighters can still do things like personal appearances outside of fight week, the sponsorship loses value if there aren’t hundreds of thousands of people watching.

“All the sponsors out there, they’re looking for that prime-time spot, that’s what they’re paying for,” Johnson said. “So if any, Bad Boy, Hayabusa, whatever’s out there, they’re looking for that prime spot. Of course they can do stuff outside the Octagon, but they’re going to make their big money inside the Octagon, that’s where they get the most viewers.”

That held true for “Mighty Mouse,” who implied he made more money from Xbox for his UFC on FOX fights than he did for his pay-per-view bouts.

“I’m happy about the Reebok thing,” Johnson said. “Just because at the end of the day, even though the Xbox deal was there, at the end of the day, I’d still have to negotiate stuff with those guys. Because, ‘is it going to be on PPV or is it on FOX?’ Believe it or not, Xbox loved it more when I was on FOX than PPV. Because there’s more viewers on FOX, it’s a bigger platform.”

In the end, Johnson is looking on the bright side, as chasing down sponsor money was a headache of the fight game most fans didn’t see. He knows he’s getting $40,000 from Reebok when he steps into the Octagon and that the checks won’t bounce.

“It’s a little more legit, where in the past, you hear from fighters,’ I haven’t gotten paid by my last sponsor,'” Johnson said. “There were times in the WEC I didn’t get paid from my sponsors. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”