The UFC announced Tuesday that it has signed a six-year deal with Reebok that will introduce new uniforms for fighters to replace all in-cage fighter sponsorships.
The new uniforms will come with kits that will be exclusively produced by Reebok, and every fighter under UFC contract is obligated to participate in the new uniform policy, according to MMA Fighting.
While the cost of the deal hasn't been disclosed yet, UFC CEO and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta refers to the agreement as the "biggest non-broadcast partnership that our company has ever signed."
The new uniforms will include shirts, shorts, underwear, shoes and other training apparel to use in preparation for upcoming fights and on fight night, FOXSports.com reported.
Fertitta said the majority, if not all, of the revenue made with the new policy will be distributed among the fighters, who will be paid on a pre-fight basis as they perform. The amount fighters get paid will be determined by their rankings on the day of the weigh-in before their fights. He added that the different divisions will be fighters ranked 1-5, those ranked 6-10, those ranked 11-15, and un-ranked fighters.
While competitors are only allowed to wear Reebok during fight week or activities sponsored by UFC, they will be able to wear apparel from another sponsor for an advertising campaign if the sponsor is willing to pay. This means fighters won't have to give up their current sponsors they already have, or those they may earn in the future.
In addition to each fighter getting their own personalized kit, Fertitta said they will receive 20 percent royalty payments, and retired fighters will also be able to earn money from the new program. The CEO also indicated that both fighters and consumers will be provided with different choices for uniform colors and styles.
"At the end of the day, the more successful you are and the more demand there is for you, as an individual brand, [the more] you're going to sell," he said. "That's the way the system works, it's a capitalistic system here at the UFC."
Cornermen will also have to participate in the uniform program on fight night, and Fertitta also indicated that UFC is working on kits for retired "legends."
The new uniform program will begin the week of July 6, 2015.
