At UFC International Fight Week in July, Reebok will take over at event fighter sponsorships. The majority of fighters who have spoken publicly on the subject said they were taking a pay cut; reactions ranged from resignation, to grudging understanding, to threats of quitting.
In an interview with The Three Amigos Podast, former UFC light heavyweight and current color commentator Brian Stann said that most fighters he talked with were positive about the change, particularly as it effects the need for fighter management.
Transcription by ever phenomenal Steph Daniels for BE.
Brian Stann: If I was still fighting, it would have been very bad for me to go without management. However, that being said, I retired right as the sponsorship market really started to collapse, so I got lucky and made great money off of sponsors, and not just for when I fought, but in monthly installments. I had an appearance-heavy schedule. When I would fight, the very next month after, I was doing a lot of public speaking appearances, commercial shoots and event appearances for my sponsors. That’s how my manager, Robert Roveta, got really creative.
A lot of the companies that were sponsoring me made money in the service member market or something else that was directly relevant to my career interests; VA mortgages, supplement industry – I was going to a lot of events for bodybuilding and fitness. It would have hurt me tremendously to not have had my management. However, some of my deals were coming to an end, and it didn’t sound like they were going to renew them when I got out, because that was when the market really started to dry up, and I’ve heard it’s gotten worse.
I have to admit, 60% of the fighters that I have spoken to, told me the Reebok deal was better for them. I was really surprised to hear that. I thought lots of guys were going to be upset. I talked to Ryan LaFlare on our podcast last week, and he said for his fight with Demian Maia, he was main event, and his total sponsorships were $12,000. He’s only been paid 3 grand of that so far. He said that is the third fight in a row where he’s only gotten about that level of money from sponsors, and only received about that same percentage of the money. ‘I was supposed to have made $10 grand in my last fight, but have only received $2 grand of it.’ These guys are getting stiffed an awful lot, which is a shame.
Being able to have your own sponsors was a privilege, it wasn’t a right. The UFC gave that to you. I think Chael Sonnen put that the best. However, to have that privilege for so long, and then all the sudden, you go from 60 to 0 in a split second, you kind of have to expect a massive outcry. You’ve got to brace for impact. That part was kind of difficult to swallow.
I have heard from guys like Joseph Benavidez that this is better for them. Now is the true test for managers. I’ll be honest, I made $15K a month in endorsements alone. I wish I made that now. That’s great money, but none of those companies paid out that money because their logo was on my butt. Nobody cared. Nobody saw that. What they gave me that money for was social media posts, appearances over the course of the year, doing commercials, doing radio tour interviews, doing Youtube videos, being a brand ambassador for their company.
I think these managers can start to make up the difference with some of the more unique athletes they may have, but there are always going to be fighters that are just vanilla, and are never going to do well for sponsors.
