One week after Jose Aldo gave a very detailed and angry interview about how dissatisfied he was with the new UFC and Reebok deal, his coach and head of the Nova Uniao gym, Andre Pederneiras, had some pretty surprising counterpoints, which he revealed to Portal do Vale Tudo.
While Aldo suggested all fighters should get together to fight the new deal in order not to lose their sponsorship money, especially the newcomers who earn less than everybody else, Pederneiras defended the business aspect of the agreement. He also believes whoever is unhappy with the deal should leave the UFC.
"The UFC is a private company. It's like my gym, it's mine and no one should say anything about it. If I come up with a rule that must be followed by everybody, whoever is unhappy should say ‘I don't like to work under those conditions and I'm leaving'. Cool, that's their right. But if they want to work for me, they need to accept the rule. Unfortunately, not all rules will benefit everybody. They must understand the UFC makes rules for the well-being of the company. If the UFC goes bankrupt tomorrow, not a single fighter will hand Dana White and the Fertittas money from their pockets to pay their bills. Here's what I think, if you're there, you must subject yourself to the rules. Whoever doesn't want to, should leave."
Pederneiras' also disagrees with the potential fighter's union, which was also brought up by Jose Aldo last week. For him, fighters just don't understand how a company works.
"Now, fighters wanting to get together and start a rebellion against the UFC, I don't think that's the way to go. Everyone who owns a company will agree with me. Sometimes employees don't understand, but an owner must know what's best for his business, which is what the UFC is doing and it's something I have done many times."
LINK: Pederneiras defends Reebok deal, calls potential union a 'rebellion' against the UFC - Bloody Elbow