The first year of the sponsorship deal between the UFC and Reebok has been less than ideal, to put it nicely. Mistakes and missteps with its implementation have caused a number of people to express their disdain. Last Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour consisted of two such conversations, and by the end of the show, listeners and fans were left questioning the status quo.
During his show, Ariel Helwani spoke to Michael Lunardelli, Reebok senior director of combat training, regarding UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub’s decision last month to step away from MMA. Schaub made it clear during his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he’s leaving the sport not because he has gotten tired of it, but due to the situation surrounding the UFC-Reebok deal:
“I can’t see myself, when it comes down to this, I can’t see myself in a fucking Reebok kit walking out to that Octagon. I can’t see myself being like, ‘You know what? Cool, man. Yeah, that’s what I’m worth. I’m worth 10 grand to you guys. I’m gonna do this.’”
Schaub was referencing the payout structure that awards fighters with sponsorship money based on the number of times they have fought in the Octagon. Schaub has 10 Octagon appearances under his belt since joining the promotion back in 2009. During that time he built himself into enough of a recognizable name that he claimed to be earning six figures in sponsorship money before the Reebok deal came into play. The deal with Reebok dropped his potential sponsorship checks to $10,000.
Lunardelli addressed Schaub’s comments in some interesting ways:
“Some people are going to criticize the deal. They may feel that they lost some sponsorship as part of this apparel deal. The way we look at it is, we’re not deciding where the money goes. We’re investing into all these different things that relate to MMA and the sport, so we’ve put a lot of money into the UFC deal, we’ve put a lot of money into fighters, we’ve put a lot of money into gyms and trainers and coaches, things like that. But then there comes a decision point, and the UFC decides how the fighters are paid. That’s not something we get involved in at all.”
So the question then turns to whom fighters such as Schaub should be upset with. UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman, who was also on the show, added in his feelings on the sponsorship situation:
“Right away, you see people wearing Reebok and not getting the sponsors that he was making, so he gets upset. But you can’t blame Reebok for that If he wants to get mad, get mad at the UFC. But in general, I think this is going to be good for the sport, and right now it’s just a tough transitional period. But again, I think the anger, you can’t keep blaming Reebok. I think MMA fans need to start supporting what’s going on, because it’s going to happen. Support Reebok and support the UFC in this move, because otherwise you’re wasting your time and energy getting upset about it.”
Weidman’s comments sound like he believes fighters should just get in line with the deal. However, it is not that simple. Schaub brings up a clear point when he talks about losing revenue as an athlete. What’s more unfortunate is that he is being forced into a deal that the UFC has brokered for its own benefit, yet directly impacts the athletes performing in the cage.
What happens if fighters continue to get upset at the UFC? Josh Thomson and Phil Davis already took their skills to Bellator MMA., and while they aren’t the biggest names in the sport, one must wonder if this will become a trend. It’s commonplace in other sports for professional athletes to take their talents to other organizations. At first the moves always seem like a small splash in the pond until a major name makes a huge leap. MMA is moving closer and closer to that moment when a major star does jump ship, and the UFC-Reebok deal may be one of the major talking points as to why.
It’s easy for Weidman to make those comments when he is a champion and recently signed an individual sponsorship deal with Reebok. However, the other fighters in the promotion do not have that luxury. Does that mean they should accept the consequences of a Reebok deal that benefits the promotion and a few select individuals in the company?
This isn’t the first time that Reebok has come out publicly to protect its UFC sponsorship while deflecting the controversy back to the UFC. The first time came with the firing of Jacob “Stitch” Duran. It will be interesting to see how much longer Reebok deals with the backlash that comes from fans and media when it claims not to be the one making the decisions which cause their frustration.
The first three months of this six-year deal between Reebok and the UFC have been less than positive. The statements of Brendan Schaub and Chris Weidman reflect these mixed results. Reebok isn’t as powerful of an organization in the sports apparel industry as the UFC is in MMA, but there can only be so much that the decisionmakers within that company can take. It will be interesting to see what adjustments are made, if any.
