Gareth Davies reports that the UFC-Reebok uniform deal announced on Tuesday is worth $70 million dollars. The 6 year pact makes Reebok the official clothier for the mixed martial arts promotion.
While the deal has been described as a positive “game changer” for the UFC, it has been criticized for the elimination of all other sponsors and the new function of UFC rankings which will dictate how fighters are paid via the new system. The UFC has posted details of the deal on its web site.
Here are comparisons to uniform deals in other sports:
MLS: Adidas estimated $25M per year through 2018. An initial 10 year $150M deal was extended in 2010 reflecting a 66% increase and the new deal is valued at $200M
NFL: Nike estimated $220M per year. The deal is estimated at $1.1B dollars for 5 years which began in 2012. Previously, Reebok had a 10 year $250M deal.
NBA: Adidas estimated at over $400M per year. The 2006 deal was for 11 years.
NHL: Reebok estimated at $200M per year. The deal is up in 2016 and hockey brand Bauer may make a play for the spot.
Payout Perspective:
So,is this a good deal? Its clear that the UFC would not garner the amount of money one of the major leagues would command but assuming the report is correct, Reebok is paying the UFC approximately $11.67 million per year for the right to outfit UFC fighters. One wonders if the deal will (or eventually will) include exclusivity for UFC gyms. Reebok is big in the fitness/crossfit industry and the additional exposure would make sense. For the UFC, it creates more opportunities for visibility and arguably legitimizes it as a sport.
Ufc needs money for loan…fighters being paid peanuts…solution get outside funding to ” increase” fighters income hahahahahaha……next spin the fighters income by saying theyre getting millions from ufc…hahahahaha
Dana fears viacom money hahaha
Is it 70 mil for 6 years?
If so…they have 45 events a year IF? thats 270 events in 6 years….so per event reebok pays 259++k per event exposure….reebok got it cheap hahahaha
Nice breakdown Tops! Most the fuck tards that read this site wouldn’t even look at it like that, they just read 70mil hahahaha its a chump change deal! Plus how much will it cost over 6 years to custom make uniforms for over 500 fighters? the UFC will look like a cheap version of some high school wrestling team from some shit urban city bahahha The fighters will look like a Chinese drill team, with cheap Chinese made tasteless apparel hahahah There goes the sense of any originality for a fighter. They can bow down to Dana like the communist dictator that he is. Will there be numbers on the front and back of the uniforms like they give people in prison too? bahahha
You two are pathetic
@ saldathief “Will there be numbers on the front and back of the uniforms like they give people in prison too?”
Well they’re paid like prisoners so now they can look like one too!
Seriously, 260,000 or so an event, calculate the amount the top fighters will make, then trickle the remaining percentage down…. Low ranked fighters will earn nothing worth mentioning. Non ranked fighters like Joe Lauzon and Josh Kocheck will lose their sponsor and get zero!
Do you guys even understand that not only are those fighters risking their health and lives for our entertainment, they have to pay their own training, trainers and expenses out of those meagre salaries. There’s something just wrong here, it’s like the UFC is freakin’ Walmart, making millions and treating their staff like convicts.
To tops/salad, anti, and JF
What’s the big fuckin deal if these guys have to wear uniforms? If they decide to fight for UFC on their own free will that’s their prerogative. A lot of the non top 15 will have to take 2nd jobs that’s just life, this ain’t the mlb or nhl. Just like salad thief makes taco salads it ain’t in thang.
Ahahahahahahahaha.
Biggest sport in A UNIVERSE!!!
STFU JF! Im tired of drama queens claiming anyone is risking their life. Take that BS some where else. No one has died in the ufc and they sure as hell are not doing it for our entertainment. I trained and wanted to be a pro fighter when I was younger and also spent time with many aspiring pros who didn’t make it and some who made it to the UFC. none of them got into fighting or trained everyday with your “Entertainment” in mind. Just because you want to suck a celebrity off doesn’t entitle them to any damn thing.
Also this deal isn’t that bad considering it is the first deal of its kind in the sport. While other sports are many contracts in to a proven system. Also if you factor in how many players are on a team in the NBA and how many games they play. Adidas is only paying about $12,000 per player, per game. The NFL is $8,200 per player per game. The UFC is getting $10,800 per fighter, per event based on 45 events and 12 fights(24 fighters). Seems pretty damn reasonable to me.
Always amusing when Tops talks to himself.
Sal just proved their he doesn’t know what communist dictators are.
Truth is though, this is bullshit. Fighters should be able to get their own sponsors. The fighters should not put up with this. It takes someone like GSP plus a few other big stars to put their foot down and tell White and co. this is shit. It is legal of course, the fighters don’t need to sign the contract, but it is unethical.
“Do you guys even understand that not only are those fighters risking their health and lives for our entertainment, they have to pay their own training, trainers and expenses out of those meagre salaries. There’s something just wrong here, it’s like the UFC is freakin’ Walmart, making millions and treating their staff like convicts.”
Dumbest comment of the day.
You act as if miners, window washers on skyscrapers or any other high risk occupation do not risk their health all the time for whatever. There are many jobs in this world that are risky. No one forces the people to work there.
You also ignored the fact that the fighters are insured- let me know of any other fight promoter in any combat sport that provides this. The fighters also get to use their name from fighting in the ufc to open gyms, get paid as a training partner, teach at gyms, do seminars, start their own clothing lines, etc. And if you are seriously comparing Walmart employees who make minimal wage to fighters who can draw up to millions in fighter salary per fight, you are delusional. No fighter in the ufc makes less than 8k per fight in purse money to show up and lose for even a low profile fight card. If this is low by your standards, you should contact Floyd Mayweather. Several of his prelim fighters from his last ppv made less than half of that to fight and they were not insured outside of the fight.
Based on b.s. Statement…..nba 8200…but they play how many games a year? if your computation includes guys sitting at the bench thats how many 82 x 8200 per player regular season games ….good gig for bench warmers hahahahahaha….
You cant compare 8200 and 10,800…hahaha misleading
A six year nba deal is $2.4 billion. 360 to 450 players
Ufc. $. 70 million. 500 fighters
Why would dw call it A GAME CHANGER? HahahahaH
You can’t compare like that dumbass. Yes nba plays more games which means more exposure for the sponsor so they pay more than they would for the UFC’s few fighter over 45 events. When you play more games and have more players wearing the product the more they pay. You think the nba would get the same deal if they only played 16 games instead of 82? Of course not so my point and numbers stand!
Ahahahaha. GAME CHANGER!!!
No disrespect to Garth, but I am waiting until I hear a figure from a reporter with a history of covering the business side of things.