Tag: Reebok

Sage Northcutt Inks Solo Deal With Reebok Ahead Of UFC 200

Very few fighters have received a promotional push and the backing of the UFC like 20-year-old phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt has. After quickly compiling two straight stoppage victories in the Octagon, it appeared as if Texas native was on a fast track to stardom, although a recent loss threatened that a bit. Jumping up in

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Very few fighters have received a promotional push and the backing of the UFC like 20-year-old phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt has. After quickly compiling two straight stoppage victories in the Octagon, it appeared as if Texas native was on a fast track to stardom, although a recent loss threatened that a bit.

Jumping up in weight to take on late replacement Bryan Barberena last January, Northcutt was forced to tap to a submission, surrendering his very first loss inside of the Octagon. “Super” Sage cited a sickness for his poor performance in the aftermath of the bout, but it doesn’t appear as if his promotional backing has diminished too much.

Northcutt will next take on Enrique Marin at July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 card, likely the biggest card in promotional history, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Putting the young up and comer on the biggest card of the year clearly shows that the UFC still sees something special in “Super” Sage.

Aside from the UFC, sports apparel giant Reebok, who serves as the official outfitter of the UFC, also sees something unique in Northcutt despite his recent setback. The 20-year-old took to his official Twitter account earlier today (June 29, 2016) to announce that he had signed a solo sponsorship deal with the company:

Despite the fact that every UFC fighter sports Reebok when he or she walks to the Octagon, only a select few have been able to ink separate sponsorship deals with the company. With this signing, Northcutt joins the likes of Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Anthony Pettis, Johny Hendricks, and Joanna Jedrzeczyk among others.

Do you see Northcutt bouncing back on July 9th?

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Add Sage Northcutt To “Team Reebok” Ahead Of UFC 200

When Sage Northcutt returns next month at UFC 200, he will do so as a member of “Team Reebok.”

While the UFC and Reebok have a joint working agreement to out-fit fighters, many of them also have signed deals to promote the company.

Northcutt is t…

sage-northcutt-new

When Sage Northcutt returns next month at UFC 200, he will do so as a member of “Team Reebok.”

While the UFC and Reebok have a joint working agreement to out-fit fighters, many of them also have signed deals to promote the company.

Northcutt is the latest, as he announced via Twitter Wednesday:

Brock Lesnar Will Represent Canada At UFC 200

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his highly-anticipated Octagon return this July, when he takes on No. 8-ranked Mark Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200. While Hunt will be rocking an Australian themed Reebok Kit on his walk down to the Octagon, it appears Lesnar will be representing Canada despite being

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his highly-anticipated Octagon return this July, when he takes on No. 8-ranked Mark Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200.

While Hunt will be rocking an Australian themed Reebok Kit on his walk down to the Octagon, it appears Lesnar will be representing Canada despite being born and raised in Webster, South Dakota.

MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu Tweeted out a picture of the former NCAA Division I heavyweight champion’s Reebok Kit bellow:

Despite being American born and bred, Lesnar currently resides in Mayfield, Saskatchewan, Canada, where he has lived for several years with his wife Rena Greek.

Lesnar (5-3) won the UFC heavyweight championship back at UFC 91 in 2008, when he defeated Randy Couture in the second round of their main event meeting. ‘The Beast’ would go on to drop the title after being obliterated by a young Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in 2010.

Lesnar’s next bout would see him being defeated by current title challenger Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in 2011, marking the end of his four-year MMA career. Or so we thought.

Now Lesnar prepares to go out on a better note than his last Octagon appearance, as he looks to down the Australian knockout artist this July.

Hunt and Lesnar are set to throw down in the co-main event of UFC 200 live on pay-per-view (PPV), at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9, 2016.

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Tim Kennedy Claims He Was Gagged By Dana White Over Fighter Pay

UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy hasn’t seen action since his controversial UFC 178 loss to Yoel Romero. He lost by knockout after Romero appeared to take an extended break between rounds, and we saw a much different Kennedy from that point onwards. The Army sniper was suddenly disillusioned by his job in the UFC, and began

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UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy hasn’t seen action since his controversial UFC 178 loss to Yoel Romero. He lost by knockout after Romero appeared to take an extended break between rounds, and we saw a much different Kennedy from that point onwards. The Army sniper was suddenly disillusioned by his job in the UFC, and began speaking out over a number of controversial topics involved in the fight game. One such ‘taboo’ subject was fighter pay.
tim kennedy Having been shelved since 2014, Kennedy is yet to compete in the UFC octagon under the new Reebok regime, and he’s been very vocal about his dislike for the deal. TK has also railed the promotion over basic fighter pay and remuneration, and claims it led to an angry confrontation with UFC president Dana White. Check it out:
“No. I like fighting. I love fighting. I make, like, three or four-times more when I don’t fight than when I do fight. And, I’m one of the higher-paid guys in the UFC, which is remarkably tragic and pathetic. So, the work that I do on a normal, day-to-day basis is way more exciting than stepping into the Octagon,” Kennedy said (h/t Elias Cepeda of FOX Sports).

“I got my hand slapped for talking about fighter pay. That was a big one. I had Dana White yell at me in front of, like, 20 other fighters. And, I’m sure you see how quiet I got about fighter pay,” he said sarcastically. “No. Still the same. Same thing about Reebok. Then, they ultimately tried to affect me in different ways – maybe not letting me fight. While they may not be able to shut me up, and maybe I’m not smart enough to shut up, myself, I’m still going to say what I’m going to say, and maybe that’s why I’m still on the shelf.”

By the sounds of it, Kennedy hasn’t really had a say in whether he’ll be fighting again. If he’s making more money outside of the UFC with less restrictions, much like x-heavyweight Brendan Schaub, then why would he come back?

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GSP Supposedly Confirms UFC Return – But There’s A Catch

Former long-time UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre constantly makes headlines regarding a potential return to action after vacating his coveted 170-pound strap back in 2013. Every time it appears as if a possible comeback may be a reality, however, St-Pierre shuts it down, or leaves us with yet another question mark. That may have just

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Former long-time UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre constantly makes headlines regarding a potential return to action after vacating his coveted 170-pound strap back in 2013.

Every time it appears as if a possible comeback may be a reality, however, St-Pierre shuts it down, or leaves us with yet another question mark.

That may have just changed, as we have received the most definitive news regarding “Rush’s” anticipated return to action.

According to Benoit Beaudoin of a French sports outlet, the Canadian superstar has begun negotiations with the UFC, although one road block remains (translated from French):

“Georges St-Pierre confirms negotiations with the UFC for his return. The sponsors are a stumbling point.”

Since GSP’s departure from the Octagon, the UFC has signed a highly lucrative deal with Reebok; a deal that has enlisted the sports apparel giant as the sole sponsor of the UFC. Fighters are now unable to represent outside sponsors at promotional events, nor are they able to do so inside the cage on fight night.

While this deal was intended to turn mixed martial arts into a more ‘professional’ sport, it has ultimately took quite a nice chuck of change away from some competitors.

With that being said, St-Pierre, who is a veteran of 21 UFC bouts, would receive a $20,000 sponsorship payment from Reebok, likely a significant amount less than he was making back in his glory days.

As of now, no word has come from the promotion regarding this news, although St-Pierre fighting once again would undoubtedly be monumental.

The all-time great hasn’t competed since a highly controversial split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks back at UFC 167, but he remains at just 34 years of age.

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UFC and Reebok: A Match Made In Heaven? (Editorial)

One topic that has taken my interest recently has been the organisations acquisition of one of the largest footwear and apparel brands in the world, Reebok.

Over the last six months, we’ve heard a number of stories – mostly negative – from fighters …

ufc-reebok

One topic that has taken my interest recently has been the organisations acquisition of one of the largest footwear and apparel brands in the world, Reebok.

Over the last six months, we’ve heard a number of stories – mostly negative – from fighters who have voiced their displeasure at the deal. It seems the only party benefiting from it is the UFC.

Why all the negativity? The obvious reason is fighters compensation. A number of fighters including Brendan Schaub, Tim Kennedy and most recently Benson Henderson, have spoken out about the money (or lack of) they’re receiving since the deal with Reebok commenced. Under the new deal, fighters are unable to generate their own sponsorship and are required to wear the very unappealing and bland Reebok apparel whenever they’re representing the UFC. Fighters have argued they’re receiving only a small percentage of what their own sponsorship money brought them in the past.

Is the deal fair? Absolutely not.

While I’m not a fighter, it is obvious there is an injustice in what the fighters are being paid.

The UFC have argued that fighters have never been paid better, this may be true. However, they’re still not getting properly compensated considering the brutal nature of the sport they compete in, as well as the popularity of the UFC and the amount of money the organisation generates.

There are some exceptions though. Some of the UFC’s top tier fighters such as Connor McGregor and Ronda Rousey seem to have their own deals with Reebok and command a larger pay packet than other fighters. They are big draw fighters and guarantee the UFC large pay-per-view buys. This is understandable as the UFC is a business. However, if you treat your workers poorly, cracks will appear.

Recently, newly acquired Bellator fighter Benson Henderson, openly criticized the deal with Reebok and claimed it was a major factor in his decision to sign with another organisation. Henderson’s new deal with Bellator allows him to seek out his own sponsorship and earn significantly more money than he would have if he stayed with the UFC.

As well as compensation to the fighters, the deal with Reebok seems to be hurting the companies image as well. The uniforms that have been chosen are bland, unappealing and represent a school uniform rather than an elite sporting outfit that you’d happily stroll around in.

Reebok has also been in the headlines for down right incompetence spelling fighters names incorrectly on promotional t-shirts, and pairing the wrong nick name to fighters.

What’s more bizarre is the fines Reebok have been issuing to fighters for not adhering to their dress code policy. Recently, UFC fighter Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, openly wrote an apology to Reebok for mocking the uniform by wearing Nike branded shoes in a photo with Greg Jackson.

While the UFC are no doubt benefiting financially from the deal with Reebok, they should be taking note of the effect it is having on their fighters and address the issue sooner rather than later.