RIZIN CEO: UFC fighters 'all look the same'

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Wild

Wild

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Over-the-top characters were an integral part of what made the PRIDE Fighting Championship so memorable.

Personalities as diverse as Bob "The Beast" Sapp, "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi and "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva helped the legendary Japanese promotion flourish as a blend of sport and spectacle.

Would PRIDE have made such an indelible mark in the history of mixed martial arts if the fighters all had to wear lookalike gear? Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the former CEO of PRIDE and the current boss of RIZIN, doesn't believe so.

So don't expect RIZIN to pursue a deal like the UFC's exclusive apparel agreement with Reebok any time soon as it works to develop the next generation of Japanese stars.

"We feel like we need to respect each individual," Sakakibara said through an interpreter. "Each athlete's character and personality matter more."

"The UFC doesn't respect the individual," Sakakibara said. "The fighters all look the same in their costumes now. In order to stand out, you need to become unique and get all tatted up like Conor McGregor or speak up, those are the things you can do to stand out."

LINK: RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara: UFC fighters 'all look the same in their costumes'
 
M

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Hong Kong Phooey said:
Really ? I understand what hes saying but look at the NBA , NHL , MLB , NFL , really ?
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This. If you're gonna be seen as a real sport, uniforms help.

The Reebok deal has been very bad for the vast majority of fighters, but what this guy is saying doesn't make much sense.
 
Nemo?

Nemo?

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Wild said:


Over-the-top characters were an integral part of what made the PRIDE Fighting Championship so memorable.

Personalities as diverse as Bob "The Beast" Sapp, "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi and "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva helped the legendary Japanese promotion flourish as a blend of sport and spectacle.

Would PRIDE have made such an indelible mark in the history of mixed martial arts if the fighters all had to wear lookalike gear? Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the former CEO of PRIDE and the current boss of RIZIN, doesn't believe so.

So don't expect RIZIN to pursue a deal like the UFC's exclusive apparel agreement with Reebok any time soon as it works to develop the next generation of Japanese stars.

"We feel like we need to respect each individual," Sakakibara said through an interpreter. "Each athlete's character and personality matter more."

"The UFC doesn't respect the individual," Sakakibara said. "The fighters all look the same in their costumes now. In order to stand out, you need to become unique and get all tatted up like Conor McGregor or speak up, those are the things you can do to stand out."

LINK: RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara: UFC fighters 'all look the same in their costumes'
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He's right.
 
FadeToBlack

FadeToBlack

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He's right and I think we'll see that Reebok deal continue to loosen up like it already has with the more colorful unis coming for UFC 200, with an agreement in place to already replace THAT design in beginning of 2017, if I remember reading this correctly.
 
Q

Qat

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Just looking at the ring girls tells you how that the concept isn't foreign to him either.
 
sgotwalks

sgotwalks

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Fedor is the only fighter I recognize in that photo, and that makes me sad.
 
Jonny Quest

Jonny Quest

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Agreed. The Reebok fiasco neutered the individuality of fighters and killed a lot of the fun.Not to mention it bent them over financially, but that is a whole other topic.
 
Haulport

Haulport

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NFL, NBA?????

For reals?

Martial arts is all about individual expression not uniformity. Even the VERY CONCEPT of mixed martial arts is taking that which works for you and discarding the rest like Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do.
 
Jesus X

Jesus X

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Hong Kong Phooey said:
Really ? I understand what hes saying but look at the NBA , NHL , MLB , NFL , really ?
Click to expand...
Guys in the MLB are allowed more individuality than ufc they wear what ever color and style of batting gloves,tape,cleats,bats and gloves that they want.
These two players are wearing wild colors different from team mates with the neon batting gloves and gold chest protection


 
sparkuri

sparkuri

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World domination is that much harder when individuality is a factor.
 
Disciplined Galt

Disciplined Galt

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nick diaz nut hugger said:
This. If you're gonna be seen as a real sport, uniforms help.

The Reebok deal has been very bad for the vast majority of fighters, but what this guy is saying doesn't make much sense.
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This is something I will always disagree with some people on. I don't see fighting as a sport. Obviously I think less of the athlete fighters of today than I do the Vale tudo pioneers, like Pele, Wanderlei or Igor. Different strokes.
 
M

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Galt said:
This is something I will always disagree with some people on. I don't see fighting as a sport. Obviously I think less of the athlete fighters of today than I do the Vale tudo pioneers, like Pele, Wanderlei or Igor. Different strokes.
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It's a sport, whether you like it or not
 
PrideRules

PrideRules

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Sports use uniforms so you can tell who's in your team.

In mma there are no teammates.

Uniforms are another form of u fight cheap subjugating and castrsting their "subcontractors". Making sure the brand is pushed and not the content, so that they can keep justifying their shit pay.
 
H

Hong Kong Phooey

Banned
Feb 12, 2015
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Ryann Von Doom said:
yes, really. It's Generic fighter #1 vs Generic fighter #2 most of the time.. literally zero personality in a single person sport.
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Im calling thats your opinion. I see at least 3 to 5 team members dressed alike in most cases. Its not just one fighter. Its at least 3 training guys in every fight.
 
The EZ Life

The EZ Life

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nick diaz nut hugger said:
This. If you're gonna be seen as a real sport, uniforms help.

The Reebok deal has been very bad for the vast majority of fighters, but what this guy is saying doesn't make much sense.
Click to expand...
The NBA NHL NFL etc have uniforms because they are on the same team and it helps when you are passing to your teammates and it is easier for fans to see who is on which team......

This is literally an individual sport when it comes down to competing and uniforms don't help one bit. All uniforms do is take away from fighters individuality.


A lot of these older generation fighters like wanderlei, chuck, silva etc get recognition just from the shorts they fought in.


Reebok uniforms are the worst thing to happen to the fighters in the UFC in my opinion.... kills individuality, hurts their wallets, hell they probably would have less sales of reebok uniforms than their individual fight gear would sell.. i have yet to see anyone say I love Reebok and spend money on reebok fighter shorts
 
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