Many fighters and fans have shown a distaste for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s recent athlete uniform deal with sports apparel company Reebok. Since the deal, UFC competitors are no longer permitted to acquire their own sponsorship inside the octagon. Rather, the mixed martial artist must wear Reebok apparel when competing inside the octagon. Now, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker has come forward with his thoughts on the deal.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, as transcribed by MMA Mania, Coker explained that he finds the deal to be borderline illegal.
“Listen, they’re independent contractors. How they’re forced to wear uniforms, to this day, still baffles me. It should be against the labor laws or something. Because you have to wear this sponsor? You have to wear a certain uniform when you fight? To me, they should be contractual position to get whatever sponsor they want. If Ryan Bader went out and made a million dollars in sponsorship, good for you!”
