Reebok’s sponsorship money to be paid on basis of tenure, not ranks

After the recent tie-up with sports goods company Reebok, UFC had announced that the money sent by the company as sponsorship payment would be awarded to fighters based on a ranking system. This system, which had quite a few glaring loopholes, was heavily criticized, and it now seems that UFC has been listening. It has agreed that the ranking system has a few shortcomings and that it would instead award the money to fighters based on their longevity. This means the more bouts the fighter has participated in, the more money he shall receive.

A system of tiers has been developed, and it is based on the tenure of the fighters. These tiers will include number of fights participated in, such as one to five fights, six to ten fights, eleven to fifteen fights, sixteen to twenty fights and more than twenty-one fights. Those who hold titles like challenger or champion will get higher amounts, calculated a little differently.

The main problem with continuing the former rankings system was that it would not be fair to the fighters as the panel contains members of the media and would end up being very subjective in nature, as opinions vary from individual to individual about who is better than whom. Many veterans and their managers spoke out against this unfair form of distribution, saying that the rankings are an unreliable way to assess a fighter’s worth.

The contract, which has earned the UFC seventy million dollars from Reebok, is for a duration of seven years. The sponsorship is part of a new UFC policy to allow Reebok and one other sponsor to be the only brands to be promoted by fighters, by only being allowed to put these brands on during fights.

The Reebok deal itself has generated a lot of criticism, with the UFC being restrictive about sponsors. Fighters have noted how they have lost sizable portions of their income as other brands have moved away, since they will no longer enjoy spotlight in the fighting arena.