The unveiling of the UFC’s new sponsorship program with Reebok already has some fighters flirting with Bellator, according to Scott Coker.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com‘s Luke Thomas, the Bellator CEO elaborated on some of the things he was hearing about the UFC’s new sponsorship policy, which goes into effect on July 11 at UFC 189. To say fighters are upset would be a huge understatement when piecing together the feelings of some regarding the new Reebok deal.
Coker admitted his phone has been ringing ever since details of the sponsorship came to light:
You’d have to talk to UFC to see how they’re going to handle that situation, but I’m sure they’re going to do something. The fighters are not going to be happy if it’s taking out $150-$200,000 a year in sponsorships from their pocket. I will tell you this, the phone’s been ringing.
Some UFC fighters have even vented their frustrations on Twitter:
In December, the UFC and Reebok reached a six-year, $70 million agreement for Reebok to be the UFC’s exclusive outfitter.
The new deal theoretically eliminates the need for outside sponsors and groups the entire company under the same umbrella. Fighters will now receive sponsorship money from Reebok in a tenure-based system.
The UFC brass has vehemently argued the new system will maintain a steady stream of sponsorship money and eliminate the hassle of fighters dealing with outside sponsors. According to UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, per MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, fighters will also receive royalties on gear that is sold with their name and likeness.
All of these things sound good in theory, but it doesn’t take a mathematician to do the numbers and realize some fighters will get hit in the pockets hard from this new policy. Even UFC commentator Joe Rogan, during last week’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast show, admitted that having Reebok on board was great but not if it hurts the fighters.
“Fighters can’t have independent sponsors when they walk into the cage now, and financially, it seems to be a huge disaster for the fighters,” said Rogan.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
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