Johnson’s X-Box sponsorship in jeopardy
Demetrious Johnson: “If any opportunities come up [with XBOX], then if I fit that role I’ll be reached out. Other than that, it’s just not there.”
As long as he has been UFC champion, Demetrious Johnson has represented a single company in the Octagon, Microsoft X-Box. However with this year’s change to Reebok as the UFC’s only sponsor, Johnson will no longer be allowed to represent them in the Octagon and is in danger of losing any kind of sponsorship from the company:
At a recent media event in downtown LA, Johnson told MMAFighting.com essentially, that his Xbox sponsorship is in limbo.
“I’m still in touch with them,” Johnson said. “If any opportunities come up, then if I fit that role I’ll be reached out. Other than that, it’s just not there.”
The problem with maintaining outside sponsorships in the Reebok era is that the sponsor’s big payoff came when their brand was displayed on television. While fighters can still do things like personal appearances outside of fight week, the sponsorship loses value if there aren’t hundreds of thousands of people watching.
“All the sponsors out there, they’re looking for that prime-time spot, that’s what they’re paying for,” Johnson said. “So if any, Bad Boy, Hayabusa, whatever’s out there, they’re looking for that prime spot. Of course they can do stuff outside the Octagon, but they’re going to make their big money inside the Octagon, that’s where they get the most viewers.”
