Urijah Faber on Reebok deal: Their business, their rules

[Wild]

Faber still co-owns one clothing line, Torque. He sold his interest several years ago in another, Form Athletics.

Now, with the UFC’s Reebok deal going into effect in July, the former WEC champ will sit atop a tiered system of pay. But he will no longer be able to promote his own brand when the promotion requires contractees to wear Reebok gear at its events.

“It is unfortunate, because I have my own clothing brand and I have my own companies that I promote when I fight. But this is the real world, and this is their business. They get to make the rules.”

You gotta feel for Faber. Dude has the vision to start a clothing line, when MMA sponsorships started to get hot, and now he can't even wear his own gear during Fight Week.

With 22 fights in the UFC and now-defunct WEC, Faber (32-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) stands to make an extra $20,000 when he meets Frankie Edgar (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) in a featherweight headliner on May 16 at UFC Fight Night 66, which takes place at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.

The majority of veterans on Faber’s Sacramento, Calif.-based fight squad, Team Alpha Male, will make at least $10,000 per fight. One, bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, will bank the highest possible amount at $40,000. A sometime member, popular women’s strawweight member Paige VanZant, inked an exclusive deal with Reebok earlier this year that will pay an undisclosed sum on top of $2,500 for the lowest tier.

The article acts these numbers are something to do cartwheels about, when it reality, it's pitiful.

“Things have changed, so it’s hard to really say, but I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed with the way it turns out.”

The UFC has said it will periodically review the compensation given to athletes. Executives also claimed the majority of fighters it spoke to were happy with the new deal while acknowledging there would be some discontent.

LINK TO FULL ARTICLE: Urijah Faber on Reebok pay: ‘This is the real world, and this is their business’ | MMAjunkie

 

[Morpheushasleftthebuilding]

6 titleshots and never took the belt

 

[ChaosOverkill]

"Yessir Mr. Dana sir, you the boss Mr. Dana sir! Historic deal Mr. Dana sir! Now is the time indeed Mr. Dana sir!"


"Their business their rules"


NONE OF YOU HAVE TRIED TO FLEX ANY SERIOUS LEVERAGE WHILE ACTIVE AS THE PRODUCT THEY RELY ON.

Begrudging any fighter for wanting as much as he can get AND AS MUCH AS HE WAS GETTING AND WORKED TO GET in dat "Merkin dream" mentality, is basically Tattooing Dana's face on your forehead and renaming yourself "A UFC FIGHTER" from "MMA FIGHTER"

 

[ChaosOverkill]

Some of these fighters are going to be naming their next kids "Crossfit Monster McReebok"

LAY DOWN AND TAKE IT ENOUGH? You're underpaid but "Dem's da boss"?

 

[ChaosOverkill]

"I trane CrossUFCbok"

 

[Priziesthorse]

Urijah won't speak out because the loss in sponsorship dollars will have no impact on his life. Every dollar counts for a good portion of fighters but not him. The guy has his hands in a plethora of businesses and owns multiple homes. He doesn't need the UFC.

 

[ChaosOverkill]

Urijah won't speak out because the loss in sponsorship dollars will have no impact on his life. Every dollar counts for a good portion of fighters but not him. The guy has his hands in a plethora of businesses and owns multiple homes. He doesn't need the UFC.

Then it really should have ended at "I have my own businesses" the "Them's da boss" shit was just completely throwing where he had to come from and all of his own teams lower ranked up and comers under the bus as not entitled to tell the UFC they are losing out.

 

[ChaosOverkill]

This isn't like changing a 5 mil a year athlete to a 3 mil a year athlete, this is fiddling with a lot of under 6 figure guys who put in the work to have their own brands and managers work for their extras. This is basically "You think you can brand yourselves? Fuck you, we own you, you are us, you are pixels in our logo, get better managers but cut their balls off for us, we are Zuffa"

Like a Vince McMahon speech on Raw.

 

[Wild]

This isn't like changing a 5 mil a year athlete to a 3 mil a year athlete, this is fiddling with a lot of under 6 figure guys who put in the work to have their own brands and managers work for their extras. This is basically "You think you can brand yourselves? Fuck you, we own you, you are us, you are pixels in our logo, get better managers but cut their balls off for us, we are Zuffa"

Like a Vince McMahon speech on Raw.

You got it. This deal was more about control, than it was money. That's why Zuffa was willing to give the fighters 55% of the annual revenue. They don't want anyone branding themselves.