The UFC today announced a six year partnership with Reebok to provide fighter uniforms. As the official commercial outfitter to UFC, Reebok are going to be very visible from July 6th 2015 when the deal starts. UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta describes it as "the biggest non-broadcast partnership our company has ever signed." However, the deal means that fighters will no longer be able to wear independent sponsors on their gear. That's being seen as controversial in some circles, as these sponsors have long proved valuable to MMA fighter's incomes. To offset this, UFC President Dana White told ESPN.com "initial profits from the rights agreement will go directly to the approximately 500 rostered athletes." The money will be paid based on fighter rankings. Fighters can also earn royalties based on merchandise selling with their name or likeness, similar to how WWE wrestlers earn money on merchandise sales. Outside of the cage and when not on UFC camera, fighters will still be able to utilise independent sponsors. Whether this is good or bad for the fighters, only time will tell. It is certainly going to be a very drastic change for the UFC, with the Reebok logo set to be all over MMA's number one promotion. There'll be several uniforms for fighters to choose from, but everything is going to be Reebok made and branded. "The reason we're doing this is to continue to do things and implement things to elevate the level of the sport and really take it in a place where other major league sports are," Fertitta told ESPN. "This is no different than any other major sport. You can't just run onto the field or basketball court with whatever sponsors you want. It just doesn't work that way and we're now at that level." It is believed that this was the "major announcement" that UFC had originally planned for November.
