UnderGround Forum >> Rampage: "I'm sponsored by Reebok, UFC wont"

mister_sticks -  I remember reading that Nike bought Reebok sometime ago but chose to retain its name and identity to get a bigger share of the market...

Could be wrong...

You were close, it was Addidas that bought out Reebok.

Mr Mister -

BrattMamley -

Mr Mister - 

BrattMamley -

Mr Mister - 

BrattMamley -

I'm so over this guy. When was his last legit win over a top 10 guy? I had Machida winning that fight so I don't consider that. Matt Hammill? Keith Jardine? Not since knocking out Wanderlei has Rampage done anything worthy of being this arrogant about. You get paid more than most fighters in the UFC, barely win, yet still manage to talk constant shit about the organization. Goodbye Rampage.

He said the UFC won't allow his sponsor. Where's the shit talking?

If you haven't followed Rampage in the last 3 years all he does is talk shit about the UFC and how they don't pay him enough or take care of their fighters.

I know he has. No where in the OP is there shit talking, just that he said the UFC won't allow his sponsor. If he bothers you that much why read threads about him or his interviews?

Because I'm a massive MMA fan so I'll read and post in any and all threads. I rarely criticize any fighter and, although the OP only mentions the Reebok fiasco, throughout the press conference Rampage kept saying how excited he was to leave. So my references weren't made towards the reebok statement. I'm just venting my frustration with Rampage. UFC put him as coach of TUF multiple times, gave him title shots coming off weak wins, bailed him out of legal issues. I hate ungrateful people and from my point of view Rampage is a pre madonna and I hate it because he has so much potential.

That's fair enough.

I'm a huge MMA fan but I don't read everything about fighters I dislike. I refuse to read anything from Jones, Rousey, and Nelson. I'm a fan of their fighting but have no interest in the bullshit they say.

likatiga - sgotwalks, I don't think it's as black and white as that. Assume when a company enters into the "sponsor a fighter" realm with the UFC and pays the $150k there is a contract involved.

When it came time for Nike to pay that fee for Jones, Anderson, Junior, etc., the Nike legal & marketing teams would have gone to work and made sure their deal was sweet. ie. excluding competitors.

Nike is a marketing giant, make no mistake.

I think that if Nike was to command such a condition than they would have to do a whole lot more than just pay the same UFC sponsorship fee that is status quo for everyone else. Just because you are a big name willing to sponsor fighters, does not make you an exception if the UFC is not getting something more out of the deal. The organization is aware that those bigger sponsorships are coming, and that there would be more knocking at the door after Nike, and there is no way they would slam the door shut on those other heavyweight sponsorships in the name of a standard $150,000 sponsorship fee where all the money thereafter is made by the fighter.

This is why I keep asking if Nike has any direct sponsorship agreement with the UFC, in which case I can totally see your point, and I would agree......they would likely have exclusive rights over their main competitors, but for the standard fighter sponsorship fees with the UFC, there is no way they give Nike any preferential treatment now that this thing is ready for the elephants to come calling. 

If FOX Racing wanted to sponsor a Rampage, the UFC would not say no, sorry but we already have Metal Mulisha sponsoring Nick Diaz. This is why I am thinking there must be some other reason for this refusal to allow Reebok to sponsor Rampage. Hey, maybe they are just fucking with him because he has been such a dick to them lately.

epic hero -

MuchRespec' - 

Ryann Von Doom - 

disbeliever - Other than Reebok not paying the fees, why would the UFC not let them in?

Nike.


And wow.. The power of propaganda is shown in full force here on the ug.

Man no shit... it saddens me to see sport-fighting fans consistently side with a promoter over the warriors who actually fight for their entertainment.

I'm constently at a loss for words, it's just so... cunty.

"First I was all, then I was like, knowhatimsayin girlfriend?"

Yes it's pathetic if you ask me. Every Rampage thread is full of hate, nobody hated him until he started speaking against the UFC then suddenly he's the most hated fighter on the roster.

^ Good post GriffinQ.

sgotwalks - 

12SixElbow - 

sgotwalks - 

12SixElbow - 

sgotwalks - 

12SixElbow - 

The UFC is working with Nike... So, no reebok or adidas.

Is the UFC working with Nike? I realize Nikey has sponsored Jones, but do they also sponsor the UFC directly? I haven't spotted Nike logos on the canvas or cage yet...........not saying they don't, I am just asking, because if they in fact do not sponsor the UFC like Bud Lite and Harley Davidson do, then there is zero conflict between Nike and Reebok both sponsoring fighters.

It seems pretty obvious to me.

You don't see fighters getting sponsored by Victory Motorcycles do you?

Or by Coors Light? The UFC isn't going to let the big guys advertising get conflicted with.

I assume since they sponsor several UFC fighters, that they are working with the UFC in some aspect.

Why else would the UFC care about Reebok?

 

Something is missing from this conjecture. If they do not sponsor the UFC directly then there is no conflict. Tapout sponsors fighters..........does the UFC give a shit if Tapout's competitive brands sponsor different fighters? No. If Nike is no more than a Jon Jones sponsored brand, why would the UFC give a shit if Reebok sponsored a different fighter? 

Your analogy on Victory motorcycles is a moot point unless we know if in fact the UFC is sponsored by Nike directly. If not, then they should want as many of the big boy sponsors as they can get to dabble in fighter sponsorship, and hopefully wet their appetites so they will want to tie in to the organization at a higher level, hence a bidding war down the road.

You have no knowledge of how the UFC does business do you?

This is exactly the kind of thing they do, they protect the baby.

They've kicked out brands who sponsor fighters outside the UFC. Why should they care if a brand sponsors other athletes? it has nothing to do with them. But they cared.

 

On the contrary, I have more knowledge than many, more than likely including yourself. I don't say this to be patronizing, I say it because I have spent the last six years working for multiple brands who have sponsored several top fighters in the UFC, therefore I have been kept pretty much in the loop on how these things work. The one uncertainty here that I keep alluding to is one you keep avoiding..........does Nike sponsor the UFC directly? If not, then it is a non-issue. Was Reebok willing to pay the sponsorship fee required by all brands worn by UFC fighters? If not, then our answer is simple. Other than those two things, it could be something completely unbeknownst to any of us......who is to say.

You're not reading what I'm writing.

It SHOULD be a non issue, but it isn't for the UFC.

Why does the UFC care who companies sponsor outside the UFC? The brands have nothing to do with the UFC, and sponsor fighters directly? Why? Because the UFC protects its brand and its sponsors.

IMO the UFC doesn't care if NIke sponsors it directly, they want to keep Nike happy. The fact is the odds that a company the size of Reebok would sponsor UFC fighters but refuse to pay the UFC fee is unlikely. What is likely, is the UFC blocking Reebok.

It also isn't something he just told Ariel...

On a recent UFC on FOX 6 media conference call (see it here), Jackson (32-10) revealed he's secured a sponsorship with Reebok, but claims the UFC brass have prohibited him from wearing the sneaker giant's branded apparel into the Octagon on fight night.

And that sent him into a "Rampage."

"My reasons for wanting to leave the UFC are still the same. Matchmaking is just one of the reasons. It's nothing about money. I've done this interview several times before and don't want to go into it. I have a new reason. I'm sponsored by Reebok and UFC says I can't wear Reebok in the cage. Stupid stuff like that. It's not about money, it's about respect. I'd rather take a money cut to go to another show and get appreciated. I'm sponsored by Reebok, just not allowed to wear it in the cage. I can't wear Reebok while I fight. I think in my opinion, the fighters do a lot for the sport and we're not taken care of well enough. I feel like they're getting rich off of all of us. We're having surgeries and injuries and some of these guys can't afford to pay sparring partners and stuff like that. I don't want to be a part of the sport like that. I want to go where they treat their fighters like human beings."

john joe - has Nike actually paid the so-called 'sponsor tax' though? I dont know either way but if i was to guess i would say not because after the Jones Nike deal was announced one source told me "its literally not a big deal, in all senses of the phrase" and the UFC noticeably didnt start spraying Nike everywhere. You would think the opportunity to have a big-ass Swoosh on the octagon canvas would be jumped at... if Nike were fully on board...

Exactly what I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to get at. I don't believe Nike is tied directly to the UFC through sponsorship, they are merely sponsoring their fighter. It is a small potatos kind of deal, so why would they care to shut the door on another potential huge aponsor who wants to get their feet wet in the UFC. Nike has not fully stepped up to the plate yet, so what is the deal?

Is Reebok still a company?  He should contact the people at Varnet and Swatch.

sgotwalks - 

john joe - has Nike actually paid the so-called 'sponsor tax' though? I dont know either way but if i was to guess i would say not because after the Jones Nike deal was announced one source told me "its literally not a big deal, in all senses of the phrase" and the UFC noticeably didnt start spraying Nike everywhere. You would think the opportunity to have a big-ass Swoosh on the octagon canvas would be jumped at... if Nike were fully on board...

Exactly what I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to get at. I don't believe Nike is tied directly to the UFC through sponsorship, they are merely sponsoring their fighter. It is a small potatos kind of deal, so why would they care to shut the door on another potential huge aponsor who wants to get their feet wet in the UFC. Nike has not fully stepped up to the plate yet, so what is the deal?

1. It was on the confrence call, did Dana white deny it?

2. A possible sponsorship from Nike isn't what anyone would call small potatos lol

They're probably working with, or talking to Nike about being an official sponsor, who knows?

Or maybe Nike will make UFC clothing, who knows.

We do know Page said the UFC won't allow it, on a confrence call, and no one from the UFC who was on the call said that isn't true...

GriffinQ - 

epic hero -

MuchRespec' - 

Ryann Von Doom - 

disbeliever - Other than Reebok not paying the fees, why would the UFC not let them in?

Nike.


And wow.. The power of propaganda is shown in full force here on the ug.

Man no shit... it saddens me to see sport-fighting fans consistently side with a promoter over the warriors who actually fight for their entertainment.

I'm constently at a loss for words, it's just so... cunty.

"First I was all, then I was like, knowhatimsayin girlfriend?"

Yes it's pathetic if you ask me. Every Rampage thread is full of hate, nobody hated him until he started speaking against the UFC then suddenly he's the most hated fighter on the roster.

I think that's something of a matter of timing
In the past 3 years, he's spoken out against them more and more... But that's also on the heels of bad performances, boring performances, constant complaining, his "energy drink" incident, and continued disrespect for his fans and his bosses. I don't particularly care if he were to shit talk the UFC about valid stuff, but he'll complain about them matching him with wrestlers when half of his UFC match-ups have been against a striker(Wanderlei, Chuck, Machida, Forrest, Jardine, Texeira)

2JupitersTooMany - 

Is Reebok still a company?  He should contact the people at Varnet and Swatch.

Reebok did 5 billion dollars last year...

Adidas, its parent company did 14 billion...