When news broke that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) had inked a landmark deal with Reebok to have the sports apparel giant become the promotion's official supplier for soon-to-be unveiled fighter uniforms (sneak peak), the reaction from the mixed martial arts (MMA) community was mixed, to say the least.
Some current UFC fighters criticized the deal, upset they will no longer be allowed to have their sponsors splashed on their shirts, shorts and banners, taking away a huge chunk of their fight night income.
Others, though, saw it as a good thing, seeing as how the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion made it very clear that all profits made from the deal would go directly to the fighters in order to supplement the sponsorship income they lost. While it's still unclear how much coin each fighter gets, the UFC plans to dish out the money according to a fighter's spot on the official UFC rankings.
Now, Bleacher Report has obtained a copy of the official policy detailing just exactly how the uniform policy will work.
Some of the finer points, below.
1. Ranked fighters will get to pick their color scheme first, with the higher ranked fighter getting first selection if he/she faces another ranked opponent. Same colors can not be used. Unranked fighters will work with matchmakers to select colors.
2. Each fighter and their cornermen will be issued official Reebok gear upon arrival of host city. Product will include a gym bag, hoodie, T-shirt, workout shorts, weigh-in shorts, weigh-in walkout sweatpants, weigh-in T-shirt, weigh-in walkout hoodie, weigh-in hat, underwear, socks and shoes. Women will also be issued sports bras.
3. If any fighter or a member of their corner refuses to wear the issued gear, they will assessed a penalty which includes a fine and possibly removal from the event.
4. Fighters must wear Reebok-issued gear during all UFC sponsored events including open workouts, media day, weigh-ins and press conferences. A fighter can opt to wear business or business casual attire to the press conference instead of the issued gear.
5. A fighter is responsible for lost merchandise and/or replacement costs.
6. Fighters are paid by the UFC within 10 business days of their fight. Fighters are paid based on the UFC fighter pay scale and their official ranking at the time of weigh-in.
7. The UFC logo is not to be covered and no other logo and/or sponsor can be visible while UFC has the option to add another sponsor/logo to the attire.
8. All headphones worn by fighters must be supplied by "Monster."
9. After each fight, the fighter is required to select one piece of their official walkout gear-the product they physically wore to the Octagon (not including underwear) and return it to the UFC equipment manager.
10. Fighters must also wear Reebok apparel for any UFC-produced show including, Embedded, UFC Tonight, UFC Countdown, Ultimate Insider and The Ultimate Fighter.
And though the uniform policy won't take into effect until July 6, 2015, some fighters and a few high-profile trainers are already feeling the pinch after their sponsors decided to bow out.
Still, no details as to how much money each fighter will receive were given, but the report did reveal that a portion of the profits will be issued to "Fight for Peace," a nonprofit organization "which combines boxing and martial arts with education and personal development in communities affected by crime and violence."
Furthermore, UFC has created a new Equipment Department that will have a team present at each fight card. The department includes and equipment director, three equipment managers, and an equipment coordinator. You know, just to keep things running smoothly.
Thoughts?