Pre-Reebok: Bigfoot gets a $126K car from outside sponsor. Reebok: Bigfoot gets $5K.

[Kick Strickland]

I hope it was a Miata

 

[hackneysrevenge]

Dana's gonna make this right. He's gonna get Bigfoot a tonka truck.

 

[hedm2005]

I'm sure there's a lot more to it than this... but surely to God Dana isn't this fucking stupid.

If that's a full representation of total fighter compensation (which I know it isn't, it's not taking into account actual fighter purse payout), then Scott Coker must be licking his lips, because money talks louder than prestige.

The next generation of fighters aren't gonna accept chump change if they can get a half decent outside sponsorship.

 

[nostradumbass]

Obviously the reebok deal sucks for the fighters, but it doesn't really bother me. "Attracting the best athletes" is a silly argument that is used often. What other sport are women and guys under 170 lbs going to do instead? For the average fighter, pay is never going to rival other major sports and the reebok deal isn't going to prevent guys with no other options from doing it anyway.

Before the reebok deal, this forum was full of guys complaining how little fighters get paid and now it's about how reebok ruined the great deal these guys had before. We already knew promoters, and most bosses in general, are pretty greedy and take advantage of employees, but that isn't what is preventing more guys from doing it.

 

[robjenkins2]

How do we know he wasn't able to keep sponsors outside the cage? A lot of people were able to.

 

[CrashStitches]

the reebok deal wouldn't stop them giving him another car now, would it?

That's actually exactly what it means. You did not think this one through, my friend. Why would anyone give him a car if they weren't able to profit off the fact that they gave him one? That's what sponsors are: advertisers on human billboards. If a motor co isn't sponsoring Bigface, there's nobody to give him a car. Capisce?

 

[LouisBolanos]

The UFC didn't force anyone to drop their sponsors, only that they wear Reebok uniforms at several key UFC-held events during fight week. The fighters are free to get sponsored by anything and anyone in the other 360 days of the year.

If your sponsors would drop you because of that tiny fight night/weigh in stipulation, then it stands to argue that the sponsorship opportunity wasn't really created by you as an athlete, but rather by the exposure of the UFC platform, and if that's the case, the UFC clearly should be the one calling the shots.

 

[Nerdslayer]

You are the one missing the point.

Before Reebok, the fighters could maximize their income from outside sponsors.

Under Reebok, a deal imposed without any consultation with fighters, the fighters now make peanuts.

In every single professional sport except the UFC, the top players make far more in sponsors than they do from actual winnings.

What this means for the UFC is that we will continue to get part-time fighters (Carwin) and accountants with 4 years' training (Correia) as title challengers.

That Carwin example is your best example? Look I am all for athletes being paid more, but the good athletes haven't learned to maximize their earnings with or without Reebok being in the picture. Is it possible they took a pay cut, definitely. But out of ring sponsorships are still very much a thing.

 

[BullyKutta]

Here's how I imagine the creative meetings went at Reebok:

"Hey, remember those designs you slapped together for the 'American Gladiators' deal that fell through in '89? Dig em out of the file cabinet, please. This Dana guy is really impatient for some reason."
\

 

[Johnny Drama]

Damn, thats weak.

 

[PirateTetra]

It's a fucking disgrace.

 

[ticho123]

Obviously the reebok deal sucks for the fighters, but it doesn't really bother me. "Attracting the best athletes" is a silly argument that is used often. What other sport are women and guys under 170 lbs going to do instead? For the average fighter, pay is never going to rival other major sports and the reebok deal isn't going to prevent guys with no other options from doing it anyway.

Before the reebok deal, this forum was full of guys complaining how little fighters get paid and now it's about how reebok ruined the great deal these guys had before. We already knew promoters, and most bosses in general, are pretty greedy and take advantage of employees, but that isn't what is preventing more guys from doing it.

This is the issue right here. As long as the bolded part is true, the sport will be hampered in it's growth. It's pretty obvious it's hurting us viewers in the long run, so you should care. And for sports under 170 lbs there are several. In the EU we have this sport called football that I believe is growing in the US as well.

 

[Knockuout1]

Dude a car is one thing but he might of been given a Conor McGregor fight kit. That shit is currency.

this

 

[wasp]

I kept wondering if the new gap in income is the reason he sprinted to the cage haha

 

[sadclown]

The UFC didn't force anyone to drop their sponsors, only that they wear Reebok uniforms at several key UFC-held events during fight week. The fighters are free to get sponsored by anything and anyone in the other 360 days of the year.

If your sponsors would drop you because of that tiny fight night/weigh in stipulation, then it stands to argue that the sponsorship opportunity wasn't really created by you as an athlete, but rather by the exposure of the UFC platform, and if that's the case, the UFC clearly should be the one calling the shots.

if fight night/ weigh in stipulation is "tiny", then why did reebok and zuffa made the deal, and disallowed all other sponsors?

 

[GeorgeSears]

This is the issue right here. As long as the bolded part is true, the sport will be hampered in it's growth. It's pretty obvious it's hurting us viewers in the long run, so you should care. And for sports under 170 lbs there are several. In the EU we have this sport called football that I believe is growing in the US as well.

Only women and children play soccer in the U.S.

 

[MilesAbove]

"If he doesn't like it he can pick another job."...... says the shittiest fans in the world. I don't even like Bigfoot and I'm offended.

 

[sadclown]

Only women and children play soccer in the U.S.

not true. major league soccer.

i know you were trying to be clever... but, it wasn't a good try.

 

[rbastid]

They still can have their sponsors, just not in the ring or weigh ins/UFC pressers.

On the post fight show Shogun's Manager had on either a TNT or Venum sponsor'd shirt, Shogun went with a plain T, but he could have worn his sponsor's gear.

It's crap that they lose their in ring sponsor money, but there are ways to keep your sponsor and make money off them, especially if you keep winning.

Wonder how the Rousey Monster Energy Sponsorship works, do certain UFC sponsors get to sponsor certain fighters if they want? I remember Cowboy mentioned still being able to wear Bud Light stuff, so will they be expanding their sponsors quicker than they thought they would (the deal with Reebok says they can add up to 5 non-competing sponsors but they never expounded on this)

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

Isn't this deal for like seven years?

Jesus Christ. I can't look at those uniforms for another month, let alone years. Can't they at least add some color to the stripe on the shorts? They might as well broadcast in black and white as it is now. Shit is like the MMA equivalent to Fahrenheit 451.