Reebok is feeling the heat after the UFC let go of cutman Stitch Duran. The official clothier of the UFC sent out a tweet in apparent response to UFC fans outraged by his dismissal.
UFC fans: We have no input on decisions of UFC employment or fighter compensation. Our focus is providing the best gear for fighters & fans.
— Reebok (@Reebok) July 22, 2015
Not even one month into its official partnership with the UFC, it is feeling the brunt of criticism from the fans. The dismissal of Duran after he spoke out about losing out on sponsorship money due to the Reebok deal has angered the MMA internet community and Reebok felt compelled to respond.
MMA fans were not happy with Reebok taking over as the company’s primary clothing sponsor which eliminated many MMA brands from the octagon. It also angered fans and fighters when the UFC revealed payouts from the sponsorships which were below those that fighters received and now Duran’s departure has drawn the ire of many that follow the UFC.
Payout Perspective:
For those that believe that Reebok is looking for a way out of this deal think again. Despite the harsh criticism, the brand needs the UFC as much as the UFC needs Reebok. Reebok is seeking to establish a niche in the fitness market and boost sales for its parent company, Adidas, in the U.S. The uniforms are a big deal for the brand even though public opinion seems to be negative overall. If nothing else, Reebok can say it is an official outfitter for one of the biggest female athletes today, Ronda Rousey.
As many know, Adidas is owned by Reebok and there was speculation that it wanted to sell off Reebok due to poor profits. There were earnings warnings in 2013 and 2014 for Reebok and shareholders were concerned. Add to that, Adidas has fallen for the first time to number 3 in the U.S. sportswear market behind Nike and Under Armour. Even the creator of Crossfit made it known in a ’60 Minutes’ segment this year that Reebok should be sold to “someone young, fresh, excited and willing to enter into the modern era of things.”
However, it appears that profits have turned around in 2015 for the brand and the future of the fitness market is looking bright. According to a report by CBS Marketwatch earlier this year, Adidas indicated that it would not sell Reebok. Could some of the brand’s newfound momentum be from the UFC deal? Even if there is pushback from fans, Reebok will likely ride out the wave of discontent in hopes of a promising future.
Reebok makes shit gear, their sneakers fall apart and are for girlie men posers!
Good one UFC! hahaha
Boycott the UFC.
Saldaqueer and the Gayest are turning into quite the couple.
Big fights coming up-
Weidman vs Rockhold & Lawler vs Condit scheduled for UFC 194 in December!
Hi Jason,
I don’t particularly agree with statement “the brand needs the UFC as much as the UFC needs Reebok”. The UFC would have been fine without the deal, as well, for Reebok, they might end up being better off with a different type of deal.
For Reebok, it would appear more and more (I know it’s early to really say), that this deal needs lots of work. They would have been much better off making deals with individual athletes while becoming the official UFC apparel company, so when you buy athletic gear with the word UFC on it, it would be from Reebok (not necessarily the official everything and all fighters line).
Let’s be smart about this. Athletes may at times be heros, but there are times where things get really messy, think about Jon Jones. This type of relationship can also lead to bad press as we see today. But it could also lead to worse press if one of the fighters ends up on TV in bad circumstances and the image is of that fighter wearing Reebok gear is all over the news.
If I was to quote a sherdog article from today “MMA is a violent sport, and not always in the most sublime way. ” Reebok should tread lightly in this space.
The ufc cant garentee big anything. Dec is so long away a million things can and will happen between now and then save your bs for those that dont know any better bahahah
Ufc 194 does 400k
The Gayest does anti psychotic meds.
Saldaqueer hates reality.
“Ufc 194 does 400k”
And d still wins his bet.
Saldaqueer
You’re so dull. Get a life.
8ate
I doubt Reebok has ever dealt with the type of backlash that it’s dealing with now, so it is difficult to tell exactly what they are thinking, but I can tell you this.. them being forced to address the issue doesn’t look good at all, if there is one thing that can kill apparel/footwear companies is a bad image–too many negative headlines can be detrimental to the bottom line–and this is not just on the UFC partnership level, but also on the hideousness of the apparel itself, so the negative reaction is coming from ALL sides.
Everything about this UFC partnership has been disgusting to put it mildly, I seriously doubt they are happy about it. Reebok has been desperate in breaking into that niche ‘weekend warrior’ market judging from the organizations that they have partnerships with; like The Spartan Race & CrossFit. The UFC definitely fits into that mold of tattooed in-your-face stupidity so the partnership did make sense way back, but with the gigantic backlash from fans and growing bad image problem I don’t think they are celebrating right now.
#boycottUFC
UFC needs to be thought a lesson by losing revenue. This gestapo police behavior must stop. First it was Burt and now Stitch. Enough is enough.
@mmaguru – solid points. And I do think that Reebok should have gone the individual sponsor route as you suggest. It would have been much easier to pull out if it did not feel right for the brand.
I do think that the UFC wanted more blue chip brands and saw Reebok as that opportunity to do something different (for better or worse). It probably had courted Nike and UA (only speculation) but to no avail. There’s pressure on Reebok to generate revenue in the U.S. It has done better this year but previous years it has fallen off the mark. The Reebok brand appears to position itself in the fitness market and the belief that it is on the rise (think Crossfit), it saw the UFC as something bold it could do to generate buzz. (I refrained to use the “tap in” to the MMA market). So, it took a calculate risk by partnering with the UFC. Not going so well right now.
NFL sideline gear has finally switched from Reebok to Nike. While I am not a Nike fanboy, I hated the NFL Reebok stuff and bought nothing as a consequence.
“The UFC definitely fits into that mold of tattooed in-your-face stupidity ” bahahahahahah that’s the best line ever!!!!!!!!! bahahahahahha bahahahhahah !!!!!!!!!!
Saldaqueer.