UFC Rankings to determine fighters pay in new Reebok uniform program

Yesterday the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced it’s new “athlete outfitting policy” which is set for July 2015.

Beginning in July, popular sports brand Reebok will serve as the exclusive worldwide outfitter for the world’s largest MMA promotion.

Under the terms of the new deal, UFC champions will be paid at the highest level per fight while the remaining fighters will be tiered based on their spot in the Official UFC Rankings.

The new deal states that fighters ranked No. 1-5 will be paid at one level, No. 6-10 at a lower level, No. 11-15 below that, and unranked fighters at a base rate.

Those payments will remain consistent regardless of whether the athletes’ bouts air on pay-per-view, FOX, FOX Sports 1 or UFC Fight Pass.

“It provides an incentive model for the fighters,” Fertitta said. “The more successful they are, the more money they will make out of this program.”

In addition to the per-fight rate, Fertitta said fighters will also receive royalty payments representing 20 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness. The royalty program will also include retired fighters and continue in perpetuity.

Fertitta used UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez as an example of what fighters can expect moving forward:

“If you can imagine Cain Velasquez, he obviously will have a certain look, feel and appeal to merchandise and what he wears into the octagon,” Fertitta said. “He will be compensated based on how much of that actually sells, over and above what he will be paid as defending champion for a fight.”

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