Venum are the new official outfitting partners for the UFC after signing a deal and replacing Reebok
The UFC announced a new deal with Venum and ended their apparel deal with giants Reebok ahead of UFC 251.
Venum, who are known for making combat sports and martial arts apparel, seem to be a great match for the UFC.
The company was founded in France in 2006 and many fighters such as Jose Aldo, Miesha Tate and Lyoto Machida all were sponsored by the sportswear brand.
Reebok’s issues
The tie-up with Reebok took place six years back and it was worth $70million. That was huge for the UFC then as Reebok is one of the biggest brands in the world.
However, the relationship between the fighters and Reebok wasn’t all that great. The initial set of apparel wasn’t anything great and looked uniform. This also cut out the chance of stars bringing in their own apparel companies in the Octagon, and the pay was based on a tier-system.
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Further, the entire amount for the sponsorship wasn’t cash as some of it included the apparel Reebok shared with the UFC.
While Reebok will go out in April 2021, they will still remain as the UFC’s official footwear brand till the end of next year.
Not as lucrative as Reebok
Venum and UFC might seem to be a great link but sources told ESPN that this deal isn’t as lucrative as Reebok’s.
The deal is shorter than the one signed with Reebok back in 2014 and the UFC stands to make less money. However, sources did confirm that the fighters stand to make significantly more “across the board” and that should be a boost for them.
The UFC and its stars have been involved in a huge row regarding fighter pay. Jorge Masvidal and Francis Ngannou are two current big names who have spoken out against the UFC with regards to this.
Former UFC star and MMA legend Mark Hunt also hit out at the UFC and claimed he was supporting the fighters in all this.
Dana White also had his say regarding the deal and claimed it was done at the right time:
“This is the business Venum is in. I just think the timing on this thing couldn’t have been any better, they’re a great company, they’ve invested in this, and I love it.”
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