Bellator prospect Ed Ruth plans on being a middleweight for the foreseeable future. Ruth is set to go one-on-one with David Mundell inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on the preliminary portion of Bellator 178 this Friday night (April 21). It’ll be Ruth’s third professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bout. Back in Nov. 2016, Ruth […]
Bellator prospect Ed Ruth plans on being a middleweight for the foreseeable future. Ruth is set to go one-on-one with David Mundell inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on the preliminary portion of Bellator 178 this Friday night (April 21). It’ll be Ruth’s third professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bout. Back in Nov. 2016, Ruth […]
A championship fight, two top female contenders and a handful of prospects are all on the docket for this Friday’s Bellator 178 event. The card airs on Spike.com and Spike from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Serving as the headline act, Daniel Straus puts his featherweight title on the line against Patricio “Pitbull” […]
A championship fight, two top female contenders and a handful of prospects are all on the docket for this Friday’s Bellator 178 event. The card airs on Spike.com and Spike from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Serving as the headline act, Daniel Straus puts his featherweight title on the line against Patricio “Pitbull” […]
Bellator have announced that both Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will feature on Bellator 178’s preliminary card on April 21. The promotion announced on Wednesday that the former Pennsylvania State University, three-time NCAA collegiate wrestling champion Ed Ruth will make his third appearance under the Bellator banner on April 21 in Connecticut. Another fellow wrestler […]
Bellator have announced that both Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will feature on Bellator 178’s preliminary card on April 21. The promotion announced on Wednesday that the former Pennsylvania State University, three-time NCAA collegiate wrestling champion Ed Ruth will make his third appearance under the Bellator banner on April 21 in Connecticut. Another fellow wrestler […]
The former NCAA Div. I national wrestling champion has agreed to fly to Italy and face Emanuele Palombi this weekend at Bellator 168.
Below is a complete release from Bellator:
It was announced today that one of MMA’s hottest prospects, Ed Ruth (1-0), will waste no time continuing to build his resume, as he fights Emanuele Palombi (5-2) for his second fight in as many months. The bout takes place this Saturday at “Bellator 168: Sakara vs. Beltran,” on Dec. 10 from the Mandela Forum in Florence and will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 4pm ET/PT.
At only 26 years old, Ruth is looking to pave the way for the other members of “The New Breed,” a group of highly accomplished wrestlers who have all signed to fight under the Bellator MMA banner including: Joey Davis (1-0), Tyrell Fortune (1-0), Jarod Trice (1-0) as well as Aaron Pico and Romero Cotton – the last of which have yet to make their highly anticipated professional debuts. Before he was a three-time National Champion and four-time All-American wrestler at Penn State University, Ruth attended the world-renown Blair Academy in Susquehanna Township, PA, where he was the top-ranked recruit in the nation for his weight class. Having achieved great success at every stage of competition throughout his life, Ruth aspires to have the Bellator middleweight gold around his waist before long. After making the move across the country to Fresno, Calif., where he now trains at Dethrone Basecamp with other Bellator MMA fighters like Josh Koscheck and Chris Honeycutt, Ruth made his professional MMA debut just last month on Nov. 4, when he finished Dustin Collins-Miles with strikes at 3:19 into the first round.
Ruth now faces Rome’s Palombi, a seven-fight veteran with five victories including three KO’s and one submission. Ruth, who is taking the fight on less than a week’s notice, must quickly learn how to tune out a hometown crowd, who will certainly be heavily in favor of the Italian fighter.
The evening is highlighted by a main event featuring Italy’s most renowned mixed martial artist Alessio Sakara (18-11, 2 NC), who will duke it out with Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran (17-13, 1 NC) in a light heavyweight main event. Other Bellator MMA competitors will also be in action, including John Salter (12-3), Goiti Yamauchi (31-9) and Philipe Lins (10-1).
The Bellator Kickboxing brand will also be on display in Italy with a card that features a female flyweight rematch between Denise Kielholtz (45-3) and Gloria Peritore (11-1-1), but this time, a world title will be on the line. “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence” will also include a lightweight clash between Giorgio Petrosyan (82-2-2, 1 NC) and British kickboxing champion Jordan Watson (48-11-2), a middleweight matchup pitting Joe Schilling (19-9) against Victorio Lermano (30-7), a welterweight contest pairing Luca Novello (22-4-2) with Karim Ghajji (96-13-1), and Kevin Ross (31-9) will meet Alessio Arduini (26-14-2) in a lightweight fight. “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence” airs Friday, Dec. 16 at 11:15 pm ET, immediately following “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii.”
Middleweight Feature Fight: John Salter (12-3) vs. Claudio Annicchiarico (1-4)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (31-9) vs. Valeriu Mircea (12-3)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Ed Ruth (1-0) vs. Emanuele Palombi (5-2)
Complete “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence” Card:
Lightweight Feature Fight: Giorgio Petrosyan (82-2-2, 1 NC) vs. Jordan Watson (48-11-2)
Flyweight World Title: Denise Kielholtz (45-3) vs. Gloria Peritore (11-1-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Joe Schilling (19-9) vs. Victorio Lermano (30-7)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Luca Novello (22-4-2) vs. Karim Ghajji (96-13-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Kevin Ross (31-9) vs. Alessio Arduini (26-14-2)
Ed Ruth wants to stay active and compete.
The former NCAA Div. I national wrestling champion has agreed to fly to Italy and face Emanuele Palombi this weekend at Bellator 168.
Below is a complete release from Bellator:
It was announced today that one of MMA’s hottest prospects, Ed Ruth (1-0), will waste no time continuing to build his resume, as he fights Emanuele Palombi (5-2) for his second fight in as many months. The bout takes place this Saturday at “Bellator 168: Sakara vs. Beltran,” on Dec. 10 from the Mandela Forum in Florence and will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 4pm ET/PT.
At only 26 years old, Ruth is looking to pave the way for the other members of “The New Breed,” a group of highly accomplished wrestlers who have all signed to fight under the Bellator MMA banner including: Joey Davis (1-0), Tyrell Fortune (1-0), Jarod Trice (1-0) as well as Aaron Pico and Romero Cotton – the last of which have yet to make their highly anticipated professional debuts. Before he was a three-time National Champion and four-time All-American wrestler at Penn State University, Ruth attended the world-renown Blair Academy in Susquehanna Township, PA, where he was the top-ranked recruit in the nation for his weight class. Having achieved great success at every stage of competition throughout his life, Ruth aspires to have the Bellator middleweight gold around his waist before long. After making the move across the country to Fresno, Calif., where he now trains at Dethrone Basecamp with other Bellator MMA fighters like Josh Koscheck and Chris Honeycutt, Ruth made his professional MMA debut just last month on Nov. 4, when he finished Dustin Collins-Miles with strikes at 3:19 into the first round.
Ruth now faces Rome’s Palombi, a seven-fight veteran with five victories including three KO’s and one submission. Ruth, who is taking the fight on less than a week’s notice, must quickly learn how to tune out a hometown crowd, who will certainly be heavily in favor of the Italian fighter.
The evening is highlighted by a main event featuring Italy’s most renowned mixed martial artist Alessio Sakara (18-11, 2 NC), who will duke it out with Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran (17-13, 1 NC) in a light heavyweight main event. Other Bellator MMA competitors will also be in action, including John Salter (12-3), Goiti Yamauchi (31-9) and Philipe Lins (10-1).
The Bellator Kickboxing brand will also be on display in Italy with a card that features a female flyweight rematch between Denise Kielholtz (45-3) and Gloria Peritore (11-1-1), but this time, a world title will be on the line. “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence” will also include a lightweight clash between Giorgio Petrosyan (82-2-2, 1 NC) and British kickboxing champion Jordan Watson (48-11-2), a middleweight matchup pitting Joe Schilling (19-9) against Victorio Lermano (30-7), a welterweight contest pairing Luca Novello (22-4-2) with Karim Ghajji (96-13-1), and Kevin Ross (31-9) will meet Alessio Arduini (26-14-2) in a lightweight fight. “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence” airs Friday, Dec. 16 at 11:15 pm ET, immediately following “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii.”
Along with Liam McGeary vs. Phil Davis, the Bellator 163 card will feature two top prospects on the prelims.
The promotion announced on Thursday that Ed Ruth will face Mark Mangiardi and Tyrell Fortune will take on Cody Miskell on November 4.
Ruth was three-time NCAA Div. I national champion wrestler for Penn State University prior to embarking on his MMA career, while Fortune also finding success on the mats.
Below is a complete release from Bellator, along with the complete card:
Two of Bellator’s highly touted wrestling prospects Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will make their eagerly anticipated mixed martial arts debuts against Mark Mangiardi (Debut) and Cody Miskell (Debut) during the stacked card of “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” on November 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
In addition, Neiman Gracie (4-0) will look to remain undefeated to begin his professional career in a catchweight bout against Rudy Bears (16-14). All three of these contests will air on the Bellator.com-streamed preliminary card beginning at 7:50 p.m. ET/5:50 p.m. CT.
The newly announced tilts complete a card headlined by a light heavyweight world title fight that pits champion Liam McGeary (11-0) against Phil Davis (16-3). In the co-main event, a welterweight showdown pitting Saad Awad (19-8) against Brennan Ward (13-4) will go down, while a heavyweight bout between Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) and Javy “Eye Candy” Ayala (9-5) will also be featured on the main card. Lastly, Paul Daley (38-14-2) and the always-exciting Derek Anderson (14-2) faceoff in a welterweight clash, while female featherweights Marloes Coenen (23-7) and Talita Nogueira (6-0) round out the live and free action on SPIKE.
Tickets for “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as the Mohegan Sun Box Office and Ticketmaster. The event can be seen live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App.
When looking up the word “prospect” in the dictionary, there should be a photo of Ed Ruth placed next to the definition. The three-time national champion joined a plethora of blue-chip amateur wrestling prospects on the Bellator MMA roster last year and now will make his long-awaited debut at 185-pounds on Nov. 4. An attendee of the world-renown Blair Academy in Susquehanna Township, PA, where he was the top-ranked recruit in the nation for his weight class, Ruth elected to stay local and attend wrestling powerhouse Penn State University where he went on to add three National Championships and four All-American accolades to his trophy room while wrestling with the Nittany Lions. Now, Ruth’s chase for mixed martial arts gold begins –
Fighting out of Pennsylvania, Mark Mangiardi will have his hands full when he makes his professional debut against Ruth. With four amateur bouts already under his belt, the 28-year-old has tasted competition on the MMA scene unlike his Nov. 4 opponent. With his first sanctioned bout taking place in 2012, this will be the first bout outside of his home state of Pennsylvania.
Another one of Scott Coker’s high profile wrestling signings, Fortune attended high school at Lakeridge in Oregon, where he won state championships in nearly every national age-group in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The accolades didn’t stop there, with Fortune accepting an offer to wrestle at Ohio State University, before ultimately settling in at the highly acclaimed Grand Canyon Universities program. Since graduating college, Fortune represented Team USA in Olympic style wrestling, where he also experienced success. Splitting time between wrestling training in Arizona alongside fellow “Bellator 163” competitor Ed Ruth and mixed martial arts training with the Blackzilians in Florida, Fortune has spent a great deal of time honing his striking talents and submission defense.
Miskell has competed in both heavyweight and super heavyweight contests during his seven-fight amateur stint, accruing a record of 5-2. Now, the Kentucky native – who’s finished each of victories – looks to parlay his success into a run under the bright lights of Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division. It’s safe to say that Miskell’s wrestling pedigree will be challenged early and often when he meets Fortune during the Bellator.com-streamed prelims.
The Gracie name is synonymous with the sport of mixed martial arts, and once again another Gracie will now take center stage for Bellator MMA. This time it is Royce Gracie’s cousin Neiman, who will compete for the third time under the promotion’s banner. After beginning his career with back-to-back submission victories, Gracie made his Bellator MMA debut at “Bellator 134,” where he defeated Bobby Flynn with a first round submission. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt followed up the win with a win over Roger Carroll, and now looks to remain undefeated when he enters the Mohegan Sun Arena for the second time of his budding MMA career.
A 37-year-old Missouri native, Bears began his combat sports training in high school. Fighting professionally since 2007, Bears has appeared eight times previously under the Bellator MMA banner and now returns to the promotion after his appearance against Michael Page at “Bellator 140: Koreshkov vs. Lima.” Nicknamed “Bad News,” Bears has competed against MMA notables the likes of Zak Cummings, Paul Daley, Jason High, Ryan Jensen, Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Tyron Woodley, and the aforementioned “MVP.”
Complete “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” Main Card:
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Liam McGeary (11-0) vs. Phil Davis (16-3)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: Saad Awad (19-8) vs. Brennan Ward (13-4)
Welterweight Feature Bout: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Derek Anderson (14-2)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) vs. Javy Ayala (9-5)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Marloes Coenen (23-7) vs. Talita Nogueira (6-0)
Complete Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ed Ruth (Debut) vs. Mark Mangiardi (Debut)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Tyrell Fortune (Debut) vs. Cody Miskell (Debut)
Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Neiman Gracie (4-0) vs. Rudy Bears (16-14)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Josh Diekmann (15-7, 1 NC) vs. Tyler King (11-4)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Blair Tugman (8-6) vs. Walter Smith-Cotito (4-4, 1 NC)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Michael Zichelle (8-4) vs. Tim Caron (5-0)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ilya Kotau (1-1) vs. Carlos Corriea (1-0)
Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Sarah Payant (1-3) vs. Hannah Regina (Debut)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Keenan Raymond (3-3) vs. Kastroit Xhema (Debut)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Thomas English (6-6) vs. Christopher Foster (9-4)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: James Boran (6-0) vs. Vinicius De Jesus (4-1)
Along with Liam McGeary vs. Phil Davis, the Bellator 163 card will feature two top prospects on the prelims.
The promotion announced on Thursday that Ed Ruth will face Mark Mangiardi and Tyrell Fortune will take on Cody Miskell on November 4.
Ruth was three-time NCAA Div. I national champion wrestler for Penn State University prior to embarking on his MMA career, while Fortune also finding success on the mats.
Below is a complete release from Bellator, along with the complete card:
Two of Bellator’s highly touted wrestling prospects Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will make their eagerly anticipated mixed martial arts debuts against Mark Mangiardi (Debut) and Cody Miskell (Debut) during the stacked card of “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” on November 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
In addition, Neiman Gracie (4-0) will look to remain undefeated to begin his professional career in a catchweight bout against Rudy Bears (16-14). All three of these contests will air on the Bellator.com-streamed preliminary card beginning at 7:50 p.m. ET/5:50 p.m. CT.
The newly announced tilts complete a card headlined by a light heavyweight world title fight that pits champion Liam McGeary (11-0) against Phil Davis (16-3). In the co-main event, a welterweight showdown pitting Saad Awad (19-8) against Brennan Ward (13-4) will go down, while a heavyweight bout between Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) and Javy “Eye Candy” Ayala (9-5) will also be featured on the main card. Lastly, Paul Daley (38-14-2) and the always-exciting Derek Anderson (14-2) faceoff in a welterweight clash, while female featherweights Marloes Coenen (23-7) and Talita Nogueira (6-0) round out the live and free action on SPIKE.
Tickets for “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as the Mohegan Sun Box Office and Ticketmaster. The event can be seen live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App.
When looking up the word “prospect” in the dictionary, there should be a photo of Ed Ruth placed next to the definition. The three-time national champion joined a plethora of blue-chip amateur wrestling prospects on the Bellator MMA roster last year and now will make his long-awaited debut at 185-pounds on Nov. 4. An attendee of the world-renown Blair Academy in Susquehanna Township, PA, where he was the top-ranked recruit in the nation for his weight class, Ruth elected to stay local and attend wrestling powerhouse Penn State University where he went on to add three National Championships and four All-American accolades to his trophy room while wrestling with the Nittany Lions. Now, Ruth’s chase for mixed martial arts gold begins –
Fighting out of Pennsylvania, Mark Mangiardi will have his hands full when he makes his professional debut against Ruth. With four amateur bouts already under his belt, the 28-year-old has tasted competition on the MMA scene unlike his Nov. 4 opponent. With his first sanctioned bout taking place in 2012, this will be the first bout outside of his home state of Pennsylvania.
Another one of Scott Coker’s high profile wrestling signings, Fortune attended high school at Lakeridge in Oregon, where he won state championships in nearly every national age-group in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The accolades didn’t stop there, with Fortune accepting an offer to wrestle at Ohio State University, before ultimately settling in at the highly acclaimed Grand Canyon Universities program. Since graduating college, Fortune represented Team USA in Olympic style wrestling, where he also experienced success. Splitting time between wrestling training in Arizona alongside fellow “Bellator 163” competitor Ed Ruth and mixed martial arts training with the Blackzilians in Florida, Fortune has spent a great deal of time honing his striking talents and submission defense.
Miskell has competed in both heavyweight and super heavyweight contests during his seven-fight amateur stint, accruing a record of 5-2. Now, the Kentucky native – who’s finished each of victories – looks to parlay his success into a run under the bright lights of Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division. It’s safe to say that Miskell’s wrestling pedigree will be challenged early and often when he meets Fortune during the Bellator.com-streamed prelims.
The Gracie name is synonymous with the sport of mixed martial arts, and once again another Gracie will now take center stage for Bellator MMA. This time it is Royce Gracie’s cousin Neiman, who will compete for the third time under the promotion’s banner. After beginning his career with back-to-back submission victories, Gracie made his Bellator MMA debut at “Bellator 134,” where he defeated Bobby Flynn with a first round submission. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt followed up the win with a win over Roger Carroll, and now looks to remain undefeated when he enters the Mohegan Sun Arena for the second time of his budding MMA career.
A 37-year-old Missouri native, Bears began his combat sports training in high school. Fighting professionally since 2007, Bears has appeared eight times previously under the Bellator MMA banner and now returns to the promotion after his appearance against Michael Page at “Bellator 140: Koreshkov vs. Lima.” Nicknamed “Bad News,” Bears has competed against MMA notables the likes of Zak Cummings, Paul Daley, Jason High, Ryan Jensen, Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Tyron Woodley, and the aforementioned “MVP.”
Complete “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis” Main Card:
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Liam McGeary (11-0) vs. Phil Davis (16-3)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: Saad Awad (19-8) vs. Brennan Ward (13-4)
Welterweight Feature Bout: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Derek Anderson (14-2)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) vs. Javy Ayala (9-5)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Marloes Coenen (23-7) vs. Talita Nogueira (6-0)
Complete Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ed Ruth (Debut) vs. Mark Mangiardi (Debut)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Tyrell Fortune (Debut) vs. Cody Miskell (Debut)
Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Neiman Gracie (4-0) vs. Rudy Bears (16-14)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Josh Diekmann (15-7, 1 NC) vs. Tyler King (11-4)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Blair Tugman (8-6) vs. Walter Smith-Cotito (4-4, 1 NC)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Michael Zichelle (8-4) vs. Tim Caron (5-0)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ilya Kotau (1-1) vs. Carlos Corriea (1-0)
Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Sarah Payant (1-3) vs. Hannah Regina (Debut)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Keenan Raymond (3-3) vs. Kastroit Xhema (Debut)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Thomas English (6-6) vs. Christopher Foster (9-4)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: James Boran (6-0) vs. Vinicius De Jesus (4-1)
(If you’re the UFC, I guess the answer is “Not for your fighters.” HI-OH!)
By David Golden
A week has passed since the pay structure of the UFC’s exclusive Reebok sponsorship was made public, and the immediate reaction to the deal from both fighters and fans seems to be…let’s say less than positive. Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub were among the vocal minority who seemed completely shocked by the figures, and it’s easy to see why. The structure of the deal effectively turns off an important revenue stream for many fighters and gives them a stipend that is predetermined and minimally effective in many cases. Making matters worse, outside brands have not only been banned as sponsors from UFC events but will no longer be able to participate as vendors at UFC fan expos.
This might have been the saving grace for some fighters hoping to bring in additional income, but that outlet has also been blocked. There has been talk of some secondary sponsorship coming some time down the road but all signs point to that being controlled by the UFC as well. If there isn’t an opportunity for fighters to source their own sponsorship or at least make the money they believe they are worth, then this deal could turn out to be disastrous for the UFC.
(If you’re the UFC, I guess the answer is “Not for your fighters.” HI-OH!)
By David Golden
A week has passed since the pay structure of the UFC’s exclusive Reebok sponsorship was made public, and the immediate reaction to the deal from both fighters and fans seems to be…let’s say less than positive. Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub were among the vocal minority who seemed completely shocked by the figures, and it’s easy to see why. The structure of the deal effectively turns off an important revenue stream for many fighters and gives them a stipend that is predetermined and minimally effective in many cases. Making matters worse, outside brands have not only been banned as sponsors from UFC events but will no longer be able to participate as vendors at UFC fan expos.
This might have been the saving grace for some fighters hoping to bring in additional income, but that outlet has also been blocked. There has been talk of some secondary sponsorship coming some time down the road but all signs point to that being controlled by the UFC as well. If there isn’t an opportunity for fighters to source their own sponsorship or at least make the money they believe they are worth, then this deal could turn out to be disastrous for the UFC.
Let’s look at the numbers:
* 1 to 5 UFC bouts – $2,500 per fight
* 6 to 10 UFC bouts – $5,000 per fight
* 11 to 15 UFC bouts – $10,000 per fight
* 16 to 20 UFC bouts – $15,000 per fight
* 21 UFC bouts and above – $20,000 per fight
* UFC Title Challengers – $30,000
* UFC Champions – $40,000
This structure rewards fighters who have managed to maintain a career in the UFC for an extended period of time but does not take into consideration the revenue fighters had been making from sponsorships prior to the Reebok deal. Add to that the popularity and star power of some fighters compared to others, and it effectively devalues many of the athletes competing in the UFC. A prime example of this would be fast rising superstar Conor McGregor. McGregor has only five fights with the UFC but has proven to be one of the organization’s biggest stars. He could benefit greatly from being able to have his management find better deals for him away from Reebok but that is no longer an option under the terms of the new sponsorship contract.
Additionally, the likelihood of a fighter making it 20+ fights with the UFC is slim; not even Anderson Silva, who has fought for the UFC since June of 2006 has cracked the twenty-fight mark. This system is flawed and UFC officials know it. Unfortunately, the deal is done and with no fighters union to represent the athletes, this puts the onus square on the shoulders of those who made the deal.
Maybe this deal was made in haste? Did Reebok come to the UFC with this amazing idea and sweep Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta off their alligator-covered feet? Maybe. But that doesn’t excuse the complete and utter lack of freedom fighters have been given as a result of this deal. Without allowing the fighters to offer input on the current financial value of sponsorships, it makes it seem like there is something they (and we) aren’t being told. During a conference call with select media members last week, UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC President Dana White, and UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein made the point explicitly; the total value of this deal would be going directly to the fighters less the direct cost of running the program. But that statement was almost immediately proved false once the figures were released. As BloodyElbow previously pointed out:
The new figures only total up to about $7.5 million a year of the reported $70 million/6 year Reebok deal initially announced back in December, figuring for 20 title fights a year. That’s a lot less than it seems like the annual numbers should shake out to.
The UFC is a privately owned company and as a result, ownership has no reason to be anything but completely tight-lipped with regard to their finances, and the likelihood is things aren’t going to get any less opaque in the future.
The question is, does this exclusive sponsorship deal with Reebok have to end as poorly as it started? When Dana White talks about the mainstream acceptance of the UFC, he has often made the point that he wants to see it grow to the heights of the NFL or the NBA. If that is true, there is one thing White and his cohorts might consider doing which would be tremendously profitable for the athletes of the UFC.
The NFL has an exclusive uniform deal with Nike and the NBA has a deal with Adidas. However, the athletes in both of these leagues are allowed to have individual shoe contracts. These shoe contracts have become such big business that some players in the NBA are signing shoe deals that dwarf their game checks. Maybe a shoe deal with the UFC isn’t the best option, seeing as how Reebok is a shoe company, but why not allow UFC fighters to find their own glove sponsors? This doesn’t mean the sponsor has to make the glove — there are obviously regulations that must be met with regard to gloves and that would take precedence — but the sponsor’s logo could just replace the current boldly stamped UFC that adorns the gloves used in the Octagon now. This wouldn’t interfere with Reebok as they do not make fight gloves, and would allow the fighters the freedom to bring in an additional revenue stream, which many of them rely on.
Let’s look at some more numbers:
* Chris Paul – $4 million
* Blake Griffin – $6 million
* Dwight Howard – $6 million
* Carmelo Anthony – $9 million
* Derrick Rose – $21 million
* Kobe Bryant – $34 million
* Lebron James – $42 million
According to Forbes 2014 top ten list
These figures show what some of the top NBA players can pull down with shoe deal in a single year. While no UFC fighter will be pulling in bags of cash this large, that doesn’t mean that they can’t use the representation a company is offering. In the NBA, there can be anywhere from 360 to 450 active players in the league at a given time. A report from USA Today Sports showed that in August of 2014, there were 440 players who had brand support from footwear companies. That accounts for nearly every active player in the league at that time. This shows that there is a realistic chance for the UFC roster to find similar success. This sponsorship wouldn’t solve all the problems but it would certainly go a long way in showing the athletes that they still have other options in the sponsorship game.
As time passes, this deal will most certainly evolve and hopefully grow into a successful partnership for the UFC, Reebok and the UFC’s athletes. As it stands now, fighters are growing more vocal in their stance on the deal, be it supportive or unsupportive. Reebok is well aware of the reaction by fans and fighters over the announcement of the payout scale. It is hard to imagine that Reebok will sit by idly and allow a deal of this magnitude to fall apart before it truly gets moving. This deal is effectively acting as a pivot point for the world of MMA as we currently know it. Fighters from across the globe are waiting to see what the UFC does to adjust this situation while creating a more profitable world for the athletes.
If changes aren’t made swiftly, there is a chance that free agent fighters might not sign with the UFC and instead opt to sign with another company that is still allowing fighters to seek their own sponsorships. Take Olympic hopeful and recent Bellator signee Ed Ruth, for example, who has already spoken out against the tiered system the UFC is now offering. So now we sit at a crossroad of sorts waiting to see just what happens next. Is this the final straw that pushes fighters to unionize? Do Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White have something up their sleeves? For now the mixed martial arts community waits on bated breath, hoping the next step is the one that fixes this oddly complex broken mess.
But what do you think, Nation? How could we go about fixing the current Reebok setup? Can we fix it at all? Discuss in the comments section.
