LAS VEGAS — Yesterday, I published an exclusive, detailed look at a document governing the UFC’s new Athlete Outfitting Policy.
The partnership with Reebok—which goes into effect in July—is extensive, and is in every respect a game-changer for the UFC and the fighters who make their living by fighting for the promotion. No longer will fighters be allowed to secure their own sponsorships and display outside logos on their shorts, hats and banners. Instead, it will be all Reebok, all the time, and sponsor banners are a thing of the past.
From a monetary perspective, we still do not know what this will mean for the fighters. The document states that fighters will be paid on a tiered system based on their ranking at the time of weigh-ins, and that they will be paid within 10 business days of the fight’s conclusion. But it does not offer any specifics on what kind of pay each tier will provide. That part remains a mystery for now.
Because it is a mystery, we don’t know how this deal will ultimately affect the fighters. Will they make a dollar amount equivalent to the amount they were paid by their old sponsors? For some, the idea of not having to chase down payments from delinquent sponsors—long a prevalent thing in mixed martial arts—will be a godsend. For others who take a financial hit, things will not be so rosy.
We also know that the UFC’s language regarding how much of the money from Reebok will be paid to the fighters is changing. When the deal was announced, Dana White told reporters that “every penny” of the deal will go to the fighters.
But according to the Athlete Outfitting Policy document, that does not seem to be the case.
“UFC will be distributing the vast majority of the revenue received from this partnership to the athletes,” the document states. “A percentage of all sales will be donated to Fight for Peace, a nonprofit organization.”
We’ve gone from “every penny” to “the vast majority” in a short period of time. And while I don’t believe this change is an indication the UFC plans on keeping all of the Reebok spoils for itself, it is still a change worth noting, and one that will affect the fighters shepherded into the deal.
Another interesting takeaway from the document: The UFC is not messing around when it comes to Reebok product. Fighters must wear Reebok products not only during all fight week activities but also during any UFC-related activities or TV shows. For fight week, this means press conferences (unless they elect to wear a suit or go business casual), open workouts, weigh-ins and the fight itself.
But it also specifies that Reebok must be worn during UFC Tonight, UFC Embedded, UFC Countdown shows and various other programming. And all participants—including “guests and guest fighters” are required to wear Reebok gear if provided.
The rules extend to a fighter’s corner, and here’s where things get interesting. If a fighter’s corner refuses to wear the provided Reebok gear, he won’t be punished. Rather, it will be the fighter he’s cornering who suffers the consequences. Those consequences include monetary fines, but the document also mentions that fighters could be removed from the fight.
Those penalties also apply to fighters who refuse to wear Reebok for official events. And if a fighter loses any of the product given to him, he is responsible for the replacement costs.
Clearly, the UFC has elected to take a hard line in enforcing this new policy. They want a unified look for their product, and who can blame them? After years of angel’s wings, skulls, crossbones and crosses, it is refreshing to imagine an MMA world with a fairly clean canvas. It makes the UFC look more professional.
Of course, one hopes that whatever Reebok comes up with is better than the official merchandise released after Wednesday’s announcement that Conor McGregor has signed a deal with the apparel company; every single McGregor/Reebok item for sale in the UFC store is atrocious and appears to have been designed by someone with zero design skills or fashion sense.
But in threatening monetary punishment or removal from a fight for infractions for both fighters and corners, the UFC is taking an already lit powder keg and throwing it in the flames. We have yet to hear many UFC-contracted fighters speak out about their dissatisfaction with the Reebok deal, mostly because they don’t know what it means to their pocketbooks.
But you can bet we’ll hear rumblings the first time someone is punished for not wearing the proper gear, or forced to pay for lost gear.
There are still many unknowns with this deal. It is a landmark deal that drastically changes the UFC from top to bottom. But until we find out what the deal means for fighter’s pocketbooks, it is impossible to judge whether it is good or bad as a whole.
But once those details begin trickling out—and I expect we’ll start hearing about them soon—we’ll either begin hearing tales of fighters happy with the Reebok windfall, or we’ll hear about those who are dissatisfied with their losses in pay.
And once that happens, we’ll be able to figure out if this was a good deal for the fighters who make their living fighting on UFC cards, or whether it’s just a deal that’s good for the UFC.
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