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We saw some of it this week after both men -- along with UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos -- were fined for violating the UFC’s “Athlete Outfitting Policy” during their fights and the media obligations leading up to them. Truthfully, I’m surprised it took this long to happen. It is a common occurrence in major sport leagues with apparel deals in place.
The first such instance I can remember was Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon defying then-commissioner Pete Rozell by wearing an Adidas headband back in the mid-‘80s. That seemed to be an isolated incident, but now it is a weekly occurrence in the NFL. Hell, it is a badge of honor for some guys.
Were I an executive with Reebok, I would probably be a little torn here. While I want to protect my investment, I would also want to limit the backlash the already-besieged company has received from MMA fans. They’ve already felt the sting from the notoriously rabid fan base after numerous self-inflicted wounds -- from “Giblert Melendez” to “Anderson Aldo” to three-quarters of Ireland, it’s been quite a run -- and now they find themselves in the crosshairs of Diaz and Cerrone.
It has been a rough first year in the MMA business for the clothing maker, but the overwhelming majority of the backlash against their paltry deal has come from fans. Though some fighters have railed against the disturbingly low payout structure, they haven’t really gone after Reebok in the way Diaz and Cerrone have this week.
Diaz tweeted his response to being fined for wearing jeans, rather than Reebok pants, to weigh in:
Those were #reebokjeans u should've just kept the whole check I don't need that baby ass shit anyway .. #1000
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) January 10, 2016Cerrone was dinged for having a piece of his old fight shorts sewn onto his Reebok shorts for his title fight with dos Anjos. The shorts were a tribute to his grandmother, and it didn’t sound like “Cowboy” was very thrilled by the news of his fine. He has since challenged Reebok to donate the amount of his fine to a military charity.
Really, this isn’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but with their atrocious implementation of this deal, Reebok and the UFC have set themselves up as a target for any small issue in the foreseeable future. Simply put, they are an easy target and have no one to blame but themselves.
Moving forward will not be easy. Irreparable damage has been done to the Reebok image in the MMA space. It will be interesting to see how the next five years of this deal will play out. I’m sure it sounded like a great idea when the partnership was broached, but there is zero chance either party is happy with the way things have gone so far.
Add the fines to the list of bad news for Reebok and their image with MMA fans. It really is something that should have flown under the radar, but due to all the other instances of the company s---ting the bed, they find themselves at the center of another negative media storm. They really are in a “can’t win” situation.
You have to wonder when we’re going to get an unvarnished assessment of this deal from inside Reebok or the UFC. Neither group can be pleased with how poorly this integration has gone. I don’t care what has been said publicly: this has been a cluster-f--- of epic proportions, and we still have half a decade to go.
Greg Savage is the Executive Editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.