Alright, let’s yak about this… uh… Reebok UFC Clothing stuff.
So, these UFC fellas, they gotta wear these clothes, see? Like, the big shots at UFC, they made a deal with Reebok. This was back in… shoot, I don’t rightly remember the year. But it was a big deal, everyone was talkin’ ‘bout it. For a long time, all them fighters, they had to wear Reebok stuff. Jerseys, shorts, all of it. They didn’t get no say, kinda like when your ma tells you to wear that itchy sweater your grandma knitted. You just gotta do it.
Now, these clothes, they weren’t cheap neither. I heard tell they costed a pretty penny, like seventy or a hundred dollars a piece. And the UFC, they said, “Don’t you worry none, all that money’s goin’ straight to the fighters.” Well, that sounded good and all, but folks started whisperin’ that maybe the fighters weren’t gettin’ as much as they should. You know how it is, some folks always tryin’ to skim a little off the top.
- Fighters gotta wear the clothes.
- Clothes cost a lot of money.
- Money supposed to go to the fighters.
Folks were sayin’ the money wasn’t right, not enough for them fighters who gettin’ punched and kicked for a livin’. It’s a hard life, that fightin’ life. You gotta train all the time, eat right, and then you gotta go in that cage and get beat up. And for what? Some folks said the Reebok deal wasn’t payin’ them enough for all that trouble.
Then there were these basketball fellas, the NBA guys. They had a similar deal with Reebok way back when, and they weren’t too happy about it neither. Seems like nobody likes bein’ told what to wear, especially when you’re a big star athlete. This one fella, Jordan, he was a big deal in basketball, he didn’t want to wear Reebok, he wanted to wear his own stuff, Nike, I think it was. So, you see, this ain’t a new problem.
Anyways, this Reebok deal with the UFC, it went on for a good while, six years, I think. Started in 2015 and went all the way to 2021. That’s a long time to be wearin’ clothes you don’t like, or clothes that ain’t payin’ you right. I reckon some of them fighters were countin’ down the days ‘til that deal was over.
UFC Reebok Deal Ending
And then, finally, it ended. After this big fight, UFC 260, they said, “No more Reebok!” Everyone was buzzin’ about it, like when the church bell rings on Sunday mornin’. The UFC found a new company to make their clothes, Venum, I think they called it. And they said they was gonna pay the fighters more money too. Now, that sounded like a good deal, a whole lot better than before.
Now, I don’t know all the ins and outs of it, all the fancy numbers and contracts. But I do know this: fighters deserve to get paid good money for what they do. They put their bodies on the line, and they should be rewarded for it. And they should get to wear clothes they feel good in, clothes that fit right and don’t make ‘em feel like a stuffed sausage.
I heard tell that now the champions, the best of the best, they gettin’ somethin’ like $42… I don’t rightly know if it’s $42 thousand, or $42 hundred, but it’s more than they was gettin’ before. And that’s a good thing. It ain’t right to treat them fighters like they don’t matter. They’re the show, they’re the ones people pay to see.
So, this whole Reebok UFC clothing thing, it was a bit of a mess, you know? Folks complainin’, fighters not gettin’ paid enough, and clothes that cost too much. But it seems like things are better now. The fighters are gettin’ paid more, and they got new clothes. Hopefully, they’re happier now. A happy fighter is a better fighter, that’s what I always say. And happy fighters make for better fights, and that’s good for everyone, even us old folks who just like to watch ‘em on the TV.
Whether you’re an old timer who been watchin’ fights since way back when, or a young whippersnapper just gettin’ into it, you gotta admit, it’s important for these fighters to be treated right. And that includes gettin’ paid fair and wearin’ decent clothes. And that’s all I gotta say about this Reebok UFC gear business.
