Ahead of his fight against Jon Jones in Houston next week, Dominick Reyes told reporters that he would like to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing his jersey during fight week. However, the UFC will have to consider the request since NBA jerseys are made by Nike and the promotion has a contract for its athletes to wear Reebok during fight week.
Reyes, a Southern California native, talked about how he was a huge Lakers fan and religiously watched Bryant and the Lakers on television. Like most basketball fans, Reyes was shocked and saddened by Sunday’s news that Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and 7 others died in a helicopter crash in Calabassas, California.
Like most athletes, Reyes sought inspiration from Bryant’s “mamba mentality” which was exemplified by the NBA star’s relentless work ethic and killer instinct.
Reyes, the next light heavyweight challenger to Jon Jones sports a 6-0 UFC record and an undefeated professional MMA record.
Payout Perspective:
It appears that the UFC is floating this issue before the media to see public perception of what to do with Reyes’ paying tribute to Bryant. Certainly, there have been times where one puts a piece of tape over the logo. You might recall in the UFC sponsor days, the occasional fighter had to tape over a sponsor that did not pay the “fee” or was not approved prior to the fight. But, it would be clear that Nike would be making the jersey. Reebok probably could not make its own shirt since Nike has the license with the NBA and its unlikely it does not. It would be a good move for the UFC to allow the jersey with the tape over the logo although I’m sure they may have to clear it with the folks in Beaverton, Oregon.
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