Ronda Rousey likes the system in place when it comes to the UFC’s deal with Reebok but feels there’s room for growth.
For years, fans and media members have criticized the UFC’s partnership with Reebok. On the surface, the deal appeared to make sense as the UFC wanted to have official attire for its fighters much like other major sports organizations. The problem is, many fighters have claimed they made significantly more having their own sponsors as opposed to wearing Reebok gear. Many have gone as far as to say the deal exploits fighters.
Ronda Rousey Gives Her Take On UFC-Reebok Deal
On a new edition of Wild Ride w/ Steve-O, Rousey said that the concept of such a deal is solid in theory (h/t BJPenn.com).
“Well, I mean it’s not that the athletes get nothing. It’s that everybody gets a split share. So instead of having a whole bunch of people having a whole bunch of individual sponsors themself, everybody gets a share of the Reebok sponsor, whatever they’re paying,” Rousey said.
“If you think about, are any of the NFL players allowed to have individual sponsorships? Are basketball players allowed to put CondomDepot.com on themselves? It gets to the point where like, in the WWE are you allowed to come out to Guns R Us on your t***ies? It’s kind of the standard that has been set by other sports. UFC was unique in that, when they were smaller, that was part of the hustle. As they got bigger and mainstream some of those characteristics kind of got lost, cause if they wanted to be looked at on the same level as the NBA and the NFL and f*cking baseball and all that sh*t, they kind of had to adapt their model a little more,” Rousey said.
Rousey went on to say that she hopes the deal eventually matures and fighters can get paid more. As the criticisms continue to mount, UFC president Dana White has described the deal as an “absolute home run.”
