Venum replaces Reebok as the official UFC uniform but the fighter pay isn’t all that great now
The Venum era for the UFC is live and many expected that the fighter pay would increase now.
Reebok were the previous official sponsors in terms of attire for the UFC but their long-term deal was replaced by Venum.
Reebok remains as a footwear sponsor for the UFC though. ESPN adds that the Venum deal isn’t as lucrative to the UFC as the Reebok one which was at $70million over six years.
Further, that $70m wasn’t all cash related and some of it included attire that the fighters got for free.
However, this was supposed to be a better deal for the fighters as many believed that they would be getting more money.
UFC’s Lawrence Epstein was speaking to ESPN and brought up how all the benefits were being passed onto the stars.
“Whether it’s cash out the door or where it’s product, we’re delivering it to the athletes. All the value is essentially going to them. We’re not really making anything on this. We do feel the look and feel of the product itself is great for the UFC brand, but when it comes to cash it’s all going to the athletes, whether in actual cash or product.”
The Reebok deal was a major problem for the stars as earlier, they would have their own gear and sponsors too.
However, Reebok’s move cut all that and some stars lost big money, even ranging up to six-figures. That doesn’t change with the Venum deal but the upgrade for the fighters isn’t all that great either.
UFC fighters get the short-end of the stick with new Venum deal
ESPN shared details of how much each fighter would get basis the number of fights in their UFC contract.
While all stars will get an increase, it is only a slight bump. Most of the brackets lead to an increase of $1,000 per fight, and only the UFC Champion and challengers get more per fight.
That too is only at $2,000 per fight. The Champions now get $42K when compared to $40K and the challengers now get $32K when compared to $30K.
This is a little problematic given that the Reebok deal is seven years old while Venum should have re-looked into these figures.
Further, an increase of $1,000 for a non-title contender doesn’t mean all that much. Of course, these figures are independent of UFC contract payouts, other bonuses and sponsorship deals, but the fans weren’t pleased with this and ripped into the promotion:
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