Last week, MMA Fighting reported that Jon Jones was in talks with Reebok about a potential sponsorship. Looking to replace Nike, Jones would be the third UFC fighter sponsored by the sports apparel company.
Although the report indicated that Jones’ team was in talks with other sponsors, Reebok appeared to be one of the frontrunners to sign the UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Jones lost his Nike sponsorship as a result of his media day melee with Daniel Cormier in August. However, it appears that the Beaverton, Oregon company may be leaving the MMA space altogether as former Nike endorser, Anderson Silva, revealed that he no longer was with Nike. Junior dos Santos was the only other Nike sponsor. No word whether JDS’s deal is also done with Nike. Silva is in talks with Adidas as a replacement.
Reebok currently sponsors UFC fighters Anthony Pettis and Johny Hendricks.
Payout Perspective:
The Reebok signing may make sense especially if it becomes the official uniform of the UFC. Jones has sported multiple mainstream sponsors including Nike and Gatorade. Losing Nike may have been inevitable. Despite the fight with Cormier, Jones is still a marketable fighter that will find a replacement for Nike in the near future.
why would reebok want jones coming off all his drama and negative feedback from the mms fan base. i will be shocked if they sign jones.