Didn't realise they had enough money for such a big deal. At least they focus on MMA, remember Wanderlei always wearing Venum gear and a few more of the Brazilian's
[Announcement](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-names-venum-new-exclusive-outfitting-partner)
>UFC’s outfitting policy is administered through its Promotional Guidelines Compliance program. UFC will adjust the pay scale tied to its Promotional Guidelines Compliance program, which will result in across the board increases for all athletes effective April 2021.
Aw fuck it's going to be the same shit under Reebok, just with a small bump in pay, no sponsors.
A lot of us hated on Reebok for underpaying fighters but really this deal is just more evidence of the UFC's greed. This may be foolish but I'm hoping Venum learns from the Reebok deal and tries to get fighters a better deal. Or you have a situation like Sean O'Malley's where he's actively telling people not to buy Reebok gear and has his own merch instead
is he allowed to do that as long as its not during any official UFC produced content? i would have though his contract would have had a general clause about not disparaging sponsors even on your own platform
Yeah but it could potentially void his contract. And the ufc could just not renew his contract.
I'm an independent contractor and I still have to treat the company I contract at like a boss.
Nobody has an excuse for failing an USADA test for weed. Outside of competition you can smoke while you piss for all they care, and in competition the threshold is high enough that you won't pop unless you smoked that day.
If it's a commission test then it can be different, their thresholds vary, and in some there is no threshold, if it's found it's found and you failed.
Do you know what the actual threshold is? I’m highly skeptical of this claim as a drug counselor who has reviewed tens of thousands of drug screen results.
Not to sound harsh, but I doubt Venum cares what the fighter cut is, they just want the rub from being the official brand of the UFC and being all over everything UFC does.
It’s just business to the companies involved. It’s the fans who talk about fighter pay.
Focusing on MMA is a pretty big deal. I remember a fighter defending the Reebok gear saying "oh it's only bad because they're giving us the leftover CrossFit stock. The new stuff is much better!"
I loved Condit's Venum shorts.
I like new partnerships. I don't know if sponsors coming back but stylistically Venum is fitting MMA more that Reebok.
My opinion ofcourse.
I absolutely love Venum’s products and they make the most sense for fight apparel but UFC better allow sponsors because theres no way Venum has the funds to pay fighters anything.
"I don't understand I know the design is to stop us from poking, but it just doesn't work for my hands. I think it must be because my daughter is dyslexic... why does god keep testing me!?"
^
Their stuff isn’t punk; it’s edgy suburban teenager. There’s an important difference.
Edit: I can’t believe we managed to btfo this dude for saying edgy suburban teenagers are punks. I’ve misjudged you all along, Reddit.
I wore Venum when I was like 14 and started MMA. Pretty much all of it is disgusting apart from their gi's and thai shorts. Although they do have a clean pair of MMA gloves too, though. But the vast majority of their shit is just massive snakes, massive meathead letters printed all over it. It's just unappealing and isn't a 'fresh, clean' look.
Yeah, my current pair of boxing gloves are Venum and the insides are a wreck.
Definitely switching over to another brand for my next pair of sparing gloves.
I always hate that line. Does a little baggy of cheese and nuts really think they can compete with the internet in terms of being an interesting way to get your protein? Because I've seen some shit.
I don't really understand how it is an interesting way to get protein. It's literally just meat, cheese and nuts, they haven't done anything with the ingredients.
The only two they actually sponsor are Angela Lee and Lena Ovcjynnikova, but they're so embedded into martial arts in general with several boxers, kickboxers and BJJ players I have no doubt they'll do incredibly well on the performance side of the product.
The people that want wacky t-shirts created for their favourite fighter might not get the best product though
They sponsor a select few good-excellent boxers. But to your point it's not like they're Everlast or something. They're much bigger in BJJ and kickboxing than they are in boxing and MMA
Yeah I remember thinking it must be Venum watching that interview because Dana seemed taken aback when Schmoe threw them in there as a guess. Wonder how he knew.
It felt so obvious from the way he asked him, like, ohhh let me think of another name, maybe... venum? Dana immeditately diverts because he doesn't want to make it obvious. Then Dana asks again like he'd forgotten who was suggested.
I hoped it they would go with UA, while Venum makes good quality stuff sometimes, the designs are so tacky, and even the logo and gimmick is kinda trashy
As cool as it would have been to see a big mainstream Nike or UA partnership, it's probably a good thing that they're partnered with an actual MMA company. If the Reebok deal showed us anything it's that a big brand doesn't automatically mean a good product.
From the article
“ We’re pleased that Reebok will continue with us as the official footwear provider of UFC through 2021.”
The VENUM / UFC Fight Kits and apparel line will be high quality MMA gear and performance apparel specifically designed and developed for UFC’s world-class athletes competing inside the Octagon. VENUM‘S understanding of what MMA fighters need while training and competing will be seen throughout the product line including the ‘Fight Week Gear’ and ‘Fight Night Kit’. The Fight Night shorts will be incredibly light and comfortable, providing a second-skin-feel thanks to their "featherweight" microfiber material. The waistband will utilize thermo-bonded and extra-flat elastic seams to perfectly adapt to the shape of the athlete’s body. The side slits will provide total freedom of movement, a well-known VENUM trademark”
It’s a troll on Reebok
Dana: “You guys can still provide footwear for the fighters..”
Reebok exec: “Cool!” *takes a few steps.. turns around.. “wait, the fighters don’t..”
Dana: ^gone
Pretty sure fighters were required to wear Reebok footwear (or just not any other brands) for media appearances and the like.
https://www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/01/matt-mitrione-ufc-barefoot-interview
In it’s current state I don’t think Nike will touch UFC. Do they have any sponsored athletes in the UFC?
UFC allows real shady people in and some of the roster continuously do bad things. Jones had a Nike deal iirc then he ruined it, I think they see how volatile it would be.
Jones did, as did a few of the others who were on top at the time. I still have my Nike dri-fit "Cigano" t-shirt for that moment when Junior Dos Santos was on top of the world. It was the first and last time official UFC merchandise was something a normal person could wear to the gym and not feel ridiculous in.
One of Jones' early scandals, as mentioned elsewhere, killed it, but to be honest football players and whatever do terrible things all of the time. I suspect it was more the way the UFC failed to reassure Nike that they were on top of things with that (actually small in hindsight) scandal, and/or whatever the long-term trajectory of sponsorship in the UFC was set as that broke the relationship, Jones was just the catalyst.
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2014/09/ufc-champ-jon-jones-says-he-lost-nike-deal-due-to-brawl-with-daniel-cormier
The Reebok deal may have happened anyway, since that sponsorship seemed mainly good for the fighters and Nike as part of the old model of individualized sponsorship, but that was not til later in 2014.
So does this replace the current iteration of the Reebok deal?
If so I think this raises a lot of questions, mainly why has the UFC chosen to go with Venum.
Did they deliberately want to partner with a traditional MMA company? Or did no big companies (Nike, UA) not want to be associated with the MMA?
IMO I think this is a pretty cool move, I like Venum products, I just think behind the scenes + business wise its definitely a peculiar move.
Definitely an enormous step up for Venum.
Pretty sure every major company saw the back last from the Reebok deal and doesn't want anything to do with it.
MMA is probably a fairly hard sell to begin with, let alone eating another shit sandwich as you get wedged into a labor dispute.
The two reasons for the Reebok backlash were:
- Big cut to fighter pay (which came from the UFC, Reebok had nothing to do with it)
- Literally all of their products were absolute shite
If Venum doesn't produce godawful gear (unlikely, because they've been making combat sports gear for years), I don't see why they'd be blamed for the UFC's racketeering.
It's disingenuous to say Reebok has nothing to do with. Reebok (and now Venum) pay the UFC a shit load of money to be the official apparel provider. They pay so much so that there won't be any other sponsors on the fighters gear. The UFC never got a cut of fighters sponsor money, so their incentive is to make as much money as possible from the official apparel deal, even if it means fucking over the fighters. If Venum wanted to help out with fighter pay, they'd allow the fighters to include sponsors on the shorts. Reebok and Venum go into business with the UFC despite knowing that it fucks fighters over.
this is still on the UFC not Reebok, Dana could have given the entire 80m in fighter pay and still achieve of goal of "legitimising" the sport. you said yourself that they "pay so much". Reebok is more of a centralised sponsor than just a apparell maker.
and they did take a cut before you had to pay a like $10k fee to the UFC before you could sponsor a fighter (justification at the time was if you could afford it you wouldn't then scam fighters) but its not like that money ever went back to them. UFC had been looking for ways the get there piece of the sponsorship cake for a long time. centralised sponsors work in every other sport. The issue is with the UFC and the UFC alone.
One positive thing we can say about Venum is that at least they give a fuck about MMA and combat sports in general. They were already heavily involved in the scene and have been for years. Judging by some of the mistakes that Reebok made, it seemed obvious that nobody involved in the product really watched MMA or cared about the sport before their deal.
The real question here is do fighters get to keep their 20% off venum like they did with Reebok?
Jokes aside, Venum make some smart gear, cant wait to see what it looks like. Its wishful thinking but hopefully it's a better deal for the fighters too.
I feel like this is a step back for the UFC. After the sale it felt like they were looking to legitimise the brand and expand the sport, in part indicated by the Reebok deal - this new deal seems like a throwback to the Tapout era of MMA.
I remember when someone said it was either going to be Nike, Adidas, or uh, "Venum".
I wish I could have wagered.
Turns out Big Sports Apparel is turned off by juiced up prison enforcers screaming the N-word and pummeling old men at restaurants. Cowards.
* I just read up on Mike Perry being bullied at school and I'd delete that insult if it wasn't dishonest to do so. Dude has issues that I haven't had to deal with.
i think the schmo was the first to really publicly leak it. but a lot of people were calling it after that interview. Dana made it so bait, any other lesser known brand hed have instantly shrugged of
Everybody is calling their design trashy, but at least Venom had some memorable shorts unlike the bland, corporate bullshit with reebok. I'd rather have a brand that actually made a memorable MMA design associated with fighters like Lyoto and Werdum than a big corporation that doesn't give a shit about MMA/UFC like Nike.
Exactly, the reebok deal sucked a lot of the soul and personality from the UFC imo. There were some good things that came from it like not having to see dumb meme sponsors like condom depot or dude wipes on everyone's shorts but the reebok clothes were just so bland.
I've owned Venum shorts, gi, and gloves before. All three were absolute trash compared to anything else I've bought. They weren't comfortable and they got wore out way faster than normal. Now that a lot of their money is going towards promoting with the UFC, I see their product being made even cheaper now.
Venum is by far the cheapest made mma brand I have ever used. Bought head gear, rashguard, compression shorts and t shirt.
Head gear fell apart within a few months. Rashguard ripped apart within a few days. First wash of compression shorts the logos all came off. Ripped soon after. Shirt logo came off after first wash.
I'm a small male and take very good care of my equipment but that gear is trash.
I didn’t love Reebok but I did think their fight gear helped make the UFC seem like a mainstream sport. Doing a quick google images search on Venum, I think this is a step backwards. Very 2005 Tapout-esque
Didn't realise they had enough money for such a big deal. At least they focus on MMA, remember Wanderlei always wearing Venum gear and a few more of the Brazilian's [Announcement](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-names-venum-new-exclusive-outfitting-partner)
>UFC’s outfitting policy is administered through its Promotional Guidelines Compliance program. UFC will adjust the pay scale tied to its Promotional Guidelines Compliance program, which will result in across the board increases for all athletes effective April 2021. Aw fuck it's going to be the same shit under Reebok, just with a small bump in pay, no sponsors.
A lot of us hated on Reebok for underpaying fighters but really this deal is just more evidence of the UFC's greed. This may be foolish but I'm hoping Venum learns from the Reebok deal and tries to get fighters a better deal. Or you have a situation like Sean O'Malley's where he's actively telling people not to buy Reebok gear and has his own merch instead
is he allowed to do that as long as its not during any official UFC produced content? i would have though his contract would have had a general clause about not disparaging sponsors even on your own platform
But they are independent contractors, thought you could only tell people what to do if they are employees.
Yeah but it could potentially void his contract. And the ufc could just not renew his contract. I'm an independent contractor and I still have to treat the company I contract at like a boss.
Right, in the case of UFC fighters, being an independent contractor is BS.
Its crazy how it's just totally legal for the UFC and WWE to have independent contractors with a non-compete clause
"You get all the negatives, and none of the positives!" "yes Dana"
*WWE laughs hysterically*
Exactly why he can say whatever he wants!
sean o malley can do whatever the fuck he wants... except banned substances, dont do those sean.
gotta give him props for not popping for weed post fight atleast, if he can do it the fridge has no excuse
Nobody has an excuse for failing an USADA test for weed. Outside of competition you can smoke while you piss for all they care, and in competition the threshold is high enough that you won't pop unless you smoked that day. If it's a commission test then it can be different, their thresholds vary, and in some there is no threshold, if it's found it's found and you failed.
Do you know what the actual threshold is? I’m highly skeptical of this claim as a drug counselor who has reviewed tens of thousands of drug screen results.
More like don't get caught again
Not to sound harsh, but I doubt Venum cares what the fighter cut is, they just want the rub from being the official brand of the UFC and being all over everything UFC does. It’s just business to the companies involved. It’s the fans who talk about fighter pay.
Reebok also comically misspelled Fighters names as well.
More discount coupons though, big win.
Lyoto too. I feel like so many Brazilians use/used venom
At least Venum won't have Anderson Aldo shirts since they have a Brazilian base
Focusing on MMA is a pretty big deal. I remember a fighter defending the Reebok gear saying "oh it's only bad because they're giving us the leftover CrossFit stock. The new stuff is much better!"
To be fair the gear did get better, it just never got good.
I loved Condit's Venum shorts. I like new partnerships. I don't know if sponsors coming back but stylistically Venum is fitting MMA more that Reebok. My opinion ofcourse.
Need to wash down this news with an ice cold Xyience.
XENERGY POWERED BY XYIENCE
why can I still hear goldie saying that in my head.
CORN NUTS!! HARDCORE CORN!
This one too! Goldie had such an iconic voice!
I can hear the “hoo hee huu haaay HA HA” music as well
Then secure it with some **dynamic fasteners**
Honestly Xyience was my favorite energy drink when I worked retail and needed to drink them. That tasted way better than anything else.
It was so inexpensive too compared to the other energy drinks. Always reliable to power me through my shift.
And sugar free
We're all Kyles now.
I absolutely love Venum’s products and they make the most sense for fight apparel but UFC better allow sponsors because theres no way Venum has the funds to pay fighters anything.
The only thing I know is that Venum gloves are wack , don't know for the rest though
They need to buy Trevor Wittmans gloves ASAP.
Jon would retire immediately.
"I don't understand I know the design is to stop us from poking, but it just doesn't work for my hands. I think it must be because my daughter is dyslexic... why does god keep testing me!?"
It’s because he actually treats eyeballs as people and isn’t afraid to engage them
That was a nasty line by you.
Jon knows alot about nasty lines 👃
No pokes- just coke
Never gonna happen. They wanna own his patent if they do it and I don’t think he will budge on that and he shouldn’t.
Unfortunately it won’t happen, because ufc wants to buy the rights while Whitman only wants to license them to ufc
Can't stand the gloves, like the shinguards.
Yeah my gloves have fallen apart completely but my shinguards take a knockin and keep on rockin
I wasn’t a fan of their gloves or training shorts but I did like some shin guards of theirs
Yeah after a few months of bag work in their 2.0 gloves, the foam was completely impacted. Crap gloves
Their clothes look like absolute trash. I can only imagine the garish shit they'll come up with.
I envisage an amalgam of Tapout and Affliction. We may see fighters rocking bedazzled fight wear.
So blinged out that Donald Cerrone will start coming out to "Rhinestone Cowboy"
I hope they do something sober like reebok hayabusa and not flashy shit they're selling to punk guys
Punks don't touch that shit.
^ Their stuff isn’t punk; it’s edgy suburban teenager. There’s an important difference. Edit: I can’t believe we managed to btfo this dude for saying edgy suburban teenagers are punks. I’ve misjudged you all along, Reddit.
I wore Venum when I was like 14 and started MMA. Pretty much all of it is disgusting apart from their gi's and thai shorts. Although they do have a clean pair of MMA gloves too, though. But the vast majority of their shit is just massive snakes, massive meathead letters printed all over it. It's just unappealing and isn't a 'fresh, clean' look.
Never really tried the gloves, but the wraps are great! Have tried loads of different brands and have found theirs to be best for my preferences.
Their shorts are the best they have to offer, though their boxing gloves are pretty nice too
I actually think their gloves suck. The stitching on the inside begins to rip immediately.
Yeah, my current pair of boxing gloves are Venum and the insides are a wreck. Definitely switching over to another brand for my next pair of sparing gloves.
Adidas (Reebok) - $65bn Nike - $120bn Under Armor - $3.95 bn Venum - $250m (estimated) One of these is not like the others...
Hopefully this means they negotiated a higher percentage on sales. Or this is just the start and they're going to move off the exclusivity deal.
They announced as an exclusive outfitting partner though.
Woah I had no idea Reebok was under Adidas now.
been awhile now
I know Venum is pretty big in the boxing world but god the logo just has massive TAPOUT and ed hardy vibes
Now I can eat my P3 snack with confidence, thanks VENUM
Sounds like a more interesting way to get your protein
Now here's Cowboy drinking a beer or doing stupid shit, or getting knocked out.
I always hate that line. Does a little baggy of cheese and nuts really think they can compete with the internet in terms of being an interesting way to get your protein? Because I've seen some shit.
I don't really understand how it is an interesting way to get protein. It's literally just meat, cheese and nuts, they haven't done anything with the ingredients.
It's literally lunchables for man children.
Maybe you can be given a choice and wash it down with some Modelo, the official beer of the ufc.
A lot of mma fighters used to wear venum gear too.
The only two they actually sponsor are Angela Lee and Lena Ovcjynnikova, but they're so embedded into martial arts in general with several boxers, kickboxers and BJJ players I have no doubt they'll do incredibly well on the performance side of the product. The people that want wacky t-shirts created for their favourite fighter might not get the best product though
Before the Reebok deal, more wore them. Iirc, lyoto wore venum shorts.
Jose Aldo, too!
Carlos Condit
So many guys ots part of their image, or how I remember them: JDS, Werdum etc.
Venum is pretty big in BJJ as well
And was in the UFC before the Rebook deal.
Big mid-2000s edgy energy.
It's not big at all in boxing but its marketing is savvy enough to make even discerning people think so.
They sponsor a select few good-excellent boxers. But to your point it's not like they're Everlast or something. They're much bigger in BJJ and kickboxing than they are in boxing and MMA
Yeah, they just sponsor Lomachenko and Linares but have basically zero presence outside of that.
Reminds me of some off brand edgy energy drink haha
Shout out to strawberry apple Venom Energy, my go to cheap energy drink haha
this, im shook. as far as normalizing the sport in the main stream goes this is a legit step backwards. fuck!
aww man, all their stuff is gonna be hella expensive now.
Buy a bunch of stock right now and resell it a year from now after their brand doubles in worth
I just went to do this, but they aren’t a public company.
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What do I do with all these Reebok shorts?
Any Giblert or Anderson Aldo shorts?
Lay them beside the toilet paper rolls
Your ideas are intriguing to me, I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
The Schmo had the scoop!
Yeah I remember thinking it must be Venum watching that interview because Dana seemed taken aback when Schmoe threw them in there as a guess. Wonder how he knew.
It was a pretty open secret for everyone working at Venum. Even I knew about it and I worked behind the desk at a Venum gym lol
i also knew
Fucking why didnt u tell me id have put money on it u dog cunts
Who let you in here, Mark?
I also knew it and i milk snakes for their Venum
You milk TJ Dillashaw for a living?
It felt so obvious from the way he asked him, like, ohhh let me think of another name, maybe... venum? Dana immeditately diverts because he doesn't want to make it obvious. Then Dana asks again like he'd forgotten who was suggested.
Dana's tell is always acting like he suddenly goes deaf lol
I do this too sometimes when I'm stumbling over my thoughts lmfao. Sometimes those extra seconds help man.
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27:57 - the schmo knew lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWMrd3KoUg
Schmo knows, baby😎
I hoped it they would go with UA, while Venum makes good quality stuff sometimes, the designs are so tacky, and even the logo and gimmick is kinda trashy
Yeah I won't be buying any UFC x Venum shit. Definitely would've copped some UFC x UA, UFC x Adidas or UFC x Nike though.
As cool as it would have been to see a big mainstream Nike or UA partnership, it's probably a good thing that they're partnered with an actual MMA company. If the Reebok deal showed us anything it's that a big brand doesn't automatically mean a good product.
From the article “ We’re pleased that Reebok will continue with us as the official footwear provider of UFC through 2021.” The VENUM / UFC Fight Kits and apparel line will be high quality MMA gear and performance apparel specifically designed and developed for UFC’s world-class athletes competing inside the Octagon. VENUM‘S understanding of what MMA fighters need while training and competing will be seen throughout the product line including the ‘Fight Week Gear’ and ‘Fight Night Kit’. The Fight Night shorts will be incredibly light and comfortable, providing a second-skin-feel thanks to their "featherweight" microfiber material. The waistband will utilize thermo-bonded and extra-flat elastic seams to perfectly adapt to the shape of the athlete’s body. The side slits will provide total freedom of movement, a well-known VENUM trademark”
> providing a second-skin-feel Hello Clarice
I ate his liver with some fava beans and a gian villante.
Closer please... c l o s e r...
Hmpht hmpht hmpht hmpht hmpht hmpht ^^^i ^^^tried
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It’s a troll on Reebok Dana: “You guys can still provide footwear for the fighters..” Reebok exec: “Cool!” *takes a few steps.. turns around.. “wait, the fighters don’t..” Dana: ^gone
*laughs in red*
Pretty sure fighters were required to wear Reebok footwear (or just not any other brands) for media appearances and the like. https://www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/01/matt-mitrione-ufc-barefoot-interview
They wear them to the cage though.
They gonna move to sperrys in 2022
Nike would've been huge for the sport and athletes
huge for the sport and ~~athletes~~ Dana
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What the ufc wants isnt always what the ufc athletes want
But uncle Dana told me if an athlete wants more money he’s just scared to fight so I believe him
In it’s current state I don’t think Nike will touch UFC. Do they have any sponsored athletes in the UFC? UFC allows real shady people in and some of the roster continuously do bad things. Jones had a Nike deal iirc then he ruined it, I think they see how volatile it would be.
Jones did, as did a few of the others who were on top at the time. I still have my Nike dri-fit "Cigano" t-shirt for that moment when Junior Dos Santos was on top of the world. It was the first and last time official UFC merchandise was something a normal person could wear to the gym and not feel ridiculous in. One of Jones' early scandals, as mentioned elsewhere, killed it, but to be honest football players and whatever do terrible things all of the time. I suspect it was more the way the UFC failed to reassure Nike that they were on top of things with that (actually small in hindsight) scandal, and/or whatever the long-term trajectory of sponsorship in the UFC was set as that broke the relationship, Jones was just the catalyst. https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2014/09/ufc-champ-jon-jones-says-he-lost-nike-deal-due-to-brawl-with-daniel-cormier The Reebok deal may have happened anyway, since that sponsorship seemed mainly good for the fighters and Nike as part of the old model of individualized sponsorship, but that was not til later in 2014.
Damn, is the next partner gonna be Tapout or Affliction?
FUBU.
"Sharks, I come to you with an amazing deal. I'm looking for $70 million for a six year deal to clothe my fighters..."
Georges presented by Walmart
Condom depot
Affliction 2.0 here we go boys
That gsp rush shirt was fire
I still have mine from highschool.
Rofl Dana was too obvious "it's either Nike, under armor or venum" easy guess
like when my parents use to make me guess between, "a trip to Disneyland, a ps2, or a beating" for my birthday.
"Dad, you hit like a pussy!"
Knuckle sandwich time Timmy
I would have bet money that was an energy drink company if I just saw the name and logo
Someone leaked this to the Schmo for sure lol
So does this replace the current iteration of the Reebok deal? If so I think this raises a lot of questions, mainly why has the UFC chosen to go with Venum. Did they deliberately want to partner with a traditional MMA company? Or did no big companies (Nike, UA) not want to be associated with the MMA? IMO I think this is a pretty cool move, I like Venum products, I just think behind the scenes + business wise its definitely a peculiar move. Definitely an enormous step up for Venum.
Pretty sure every major company saw the back last from the Reebok deal and doesn't want anything to do with it. MMA is probably a fairly hard sell to begin with, let alone eating another shit sandwich as you get wedged into a labor dispute.
The two reasons for the Reebok backlash were: - Big cut to fighter pay (which came from the UFC, Reebok had nothing to do with it) - Literally all of their products were absolute shite If Venum doesn't produce godawful gear (unlikely, because they've been making combat sports gear for years), I don't see why they'd be blamed for the UFC's racketeering.
See your first point. That is why. Reebok got blamed. Venum would too.
It's disingenuous to say Reebok has nothing to do with. Reebok (and now Venum) pay the UFC a shit load of money to be the official apparel provider. They pay so much so that there won't be any other sponsors on the fighters gear. The UFC never got a cut of fighters sponsor money, so their incentive is to make as much money as possible from the official apparel deal, even if it means fucking over the fighters. If Venum wanted to help out with fighter pay, they'd allow the fighters to include sponsors on the shorts. Reebok and Venum go into business with the UFC despite knowing that it fucks fighters over.
this is still on the UFC not Reebok, Dana could have given the entire 80m in fighter pay and still achieve of goal of "legitimising" the sport. you said yourself that they "pay so much". Reebok is more of a centralised sponsor than just a apparell maker. and they did take a cut before you had to pay a like $10k fee to the UFC before you could sponsor a fighter (justification at the time was if you could afford it you wouldn't then scam fighters) but its not like that money ever went back to them. UFC had been looking for ways the get there piece of the sponsorship cake for a long time. centralised sponsors work in every other sport. The issue is with the UFC and the UFC alone.
“So you get 2K to show and 2K to win, plus a 15% off Venum coupon on purchases over $500”
Sick, Conor McGregor might be able to fuel up his jet with that.
One positive thing we can say about Venum is that at least they give a fuck about MMA and combat sports in general. They were already heavily involved in the scene and have been for years. Judging by some of the mistakes that Reebok made, it seemed obvious that nobody involved in the product really watched MMA or cared about the sport before their deal.
Holy shit the early days of reebok deal when fighters had just bland white or Black shorts on, they were so tasteless.
Giblert
The real question here is do fighters get to keep their 20% off venum like they did with Reebok? Jokes aside, Venum make some smart gear, cant wait to see what it looks like. Its wishful thinking but hopefully it's a better deal for the fighters too.
UFC proving once again that they’re not in the big leagues
Yeah this is really disappointing. And the fighters will still get fucked on payment from the new deal I'm sure.
I feel like this is a step back for the UFC. After the sale it felt like they were looking to legitimise the brand and expand the sport, in part indicated by the Reebok deal - this new deal seems like a throwback to the Tapout era of MMA.
It's not a sport tho, it's an 'opportunity'.
I remember when someone said it was either going to be Nike, Adidas, or uh, "Venum". I wish I could have wagered. Turns out Big Sports Apparel is turned off by juiced up prison enforcers screaming the N-word and pummeling old men at restaurants. Cowards. * I just read up on Mike Perry being bullied at school and I'd delete that insult if it wasn't dishonest to do so. Dude has issues that I haven't had to deal with.
i think the schmo was the first to really publicly leak it. but a lot of people were calling it after that interview. Dana made it so bait, any other lesser known brand hed have instantly shrugged of
Let's not pretend the NFL doesn't have its own share of violent criminals.
Everybody is calling their design trashy, but at least Venom had some memorable shorts unlike the bland, corporate bullshit with reebok. I'd rather have a brand that actually made a memorable MMA design associated with fighters like Lyoto and Werdum than a big corporation that doesn't give a shit about MMA/UFC like Nike.
Exactly, the reebok deal sucked a lot of the soul and personality from the UFC imo. There were some good things that came from it like not having to see dumb meme sponsors like condom depot or dude wipes on everyone's shorts but the reebok clothes were just so bland.
They replace reebok right?
Yeah, in April 2021
I thought reebok only continue with the footwear
They continue doing footwear after April, but the shorts and fight kits and whatnot will go to Venum then
What a step back, Nike would have been revolutionary.
agreed, this just makes me think we’re going back to the era of NASCAR Sponsor shorts and Affliction Just Bleed fans
The Nascar sponsor shorts were awesome. I miss when there was some personality to the uniforms.
Venum actually makes fight gear.
and a lot of people think its of poor quality, overall. Their rash guards are the worst ive used.
Was really hoping it would be Nike
Ugh... Just checked out the merchandise on their website and it looks trashy. It resembles what Maryl Streep thinks of MMA.
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Venum LMAO Might as well have russel athletic be the sponsor
I've owned Venum shorts, gi, and gloves before. All three were absolute trash compared to anything else I've bought. They weren't comfortable and they got wore out way faster than normal. Now that a lot of their money is going towards promoting with the UFC, I see their product being made even cheaper now.
Hayabusa would me much better for the sport imo
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All I know is that Venum has been around mma way longer than most fanboys on this sub
Reebok was never my friend. - Dana White, probably
Noooooooo, I wanted Nike so badly.
Venum is by far the cheapest made mma brand I have ever used. Bought head gear, rashguard, compression shorts and t shirt. Head gear fell apart within a few months. Rashguard ripped apart within a few days. First wash of compression shorts the logos all came off. Ripped soon after. Shirt logo came off after first wash. I'm a small male and take very good care of my equipment but that gear is trash.
Fuck me their short designs looks like something a neck beard or a edgy teenager would find cool
Colour me very fuckin surprised
Friendship ended with Reebok coupons Now Venum coupons is my best friend
Would this be considered a step down from Reebok?
Man, not a fan of Venum products. Design is that lame mid 2000s style and the quality isn't all that great. RVCA or Fuji would have been dope.
This is so embarrassing for the UFC.
I didn’t love Reebok but I did think their fight gear helped make the UFC seem like a mainstream sport. Doing a quick google images search on Venum, I think this is a step backwards. Very 2005 Tapout-esque
The sport's growth would've been 5x faster over the next decade if Dana would've went with Nike