Fighters Only

Issue 130

July 2015

With the UFC changing its Reebok sponsorship distribution model from rewarding athletes based on their ranking, in favor of experience in the Octagon, we asked the MMA universe...

YES

Michael Bisping

#9 ranked UFC middleweight

23 UFC fights

I was happy when Dana White called me and told me about the Reebok deal. I’m sick of dealing with all these scumbag sponsors. No disrespect to the females who are starting off on the show, who have had one fight in the UFC and are ranked number three, over a guy who has been ranked in the UFC for a while. Look at ‘Rampage’, who was on UFC 186, he’s got a huge name, but you’ve got a 115lb woman that’s just coming up, and she’s going to get more from Reebok than a guy like Rampage? Look at Joe Lauzon. How did rankings benefit someone like him, who is still a draw and is an exciting fighter?

NO

Bryan Caraway

#10 ranked UFC bantamweight

6 UFC fights

I understand why the UFC signed with Reebok because it legitimizes the sport. If you look at the NFL or NBA, they all have one major corporate sponsorship. It’s both good and bad because for the top people, like Miesha Tate, and the people who already have a big name, it hurts them because they’re pulling in some really big sponsors. They were standing out among everybody else in the UFC as far as fame. Sponsors saw that they were standing out and they rewarded them for that. Now that the UFC are putting everybody on an even platform, I think it pulls those people down so they’re not sticking out so much.