UFC
Ryan Bader signs new four-fight deal with UFC, donates $30,000 to Armed Forces Foundation
Feb 21, 2014 - 5:10:39 PM Ryan Bader signs new four-fight deal with UFC, donates $30,000 to Armed Forces Foundation

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Following a win over Anthony Perosh in December, Ryan Bader has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC. The light heavyweight Ultimate Fighter season 8 winner is still recovering from a hand injury suffered in that fight, but with a new deal in place, he's working on other projects while gearing up for a summer return.

Bader revealed the signing in an interview with Duane Finley at BleacherReport.com this week, and while there are a lot of fighters rightfully concerned with sponsorship issues in the UFC, Bader isn't one of them. In fact, Bader said a combination of his newly signed deal, and working with a group of sponsors he believes in, allowed him to make a $30,000 donation this week to the Armed Forces Foundation.

"Supporting the military is something I'm passionate about, and I'm very fortunate to be at a place where I can do things like this," Bader commented. "I am where I am today because of the opportunity given to me by Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, and I'm just trying to make the most of what has come my way. My management team has aligned me with great people like Jeff Broin at American Ethanol, John Radtke at Incapital, and great guys like Shane and Greg at Monster Milk and Kevin Lampe, Doc Reeves and the team at Sanford. They have been the ones to allow me to make donations like this and I am more than happy to give back to our troops any time I can."

"During my time with the UFC, I have traveled to bases all over the world. I've heard so many stories, met so many troops and veterans, and anytime I can give back I definitely will," he continued. "We were just out in Las Vegas and I donated $30,000 to the Armed Forces Foundation. I went out on stage at Ron White's show for the troops and spoke about the AFF for a bit. All the proceeds from the show went to support the cause and I was proud to be a part of it."

"... [In regards to sponsor relationships], it's not just a signing here or an appearance there; we are actively involved in what these companies are doing and promoting things we believe in. They support us and we support them in return. That has made for great relationships and has allowed me to give back and support causes I care about."

Penick's Analysis: Bader's obviously not the typical situation for UFC fighters in regards to sponsorships, but he's certainly an example for the way it can work for some. There are a lot of fighters who look at the sponsorship situation as a way to get some easy money by plastering some logos on themselves, and that's how it works for a large number of them. That's the way of the game, but that's also one of the reasons that sponsorship has died down a bit, in conjunction with the UFC's sponsor tax and other issues. There are a number of companies who simply haven't gotten the requisite business boost by putting their logo on a fighter's shirt, shorts, or banner on fight night, and it may take more of these types of relationships Bader's talking about to really get into that next level for certain fighters. Finding a company to work with on that end isn't easy, of course, but those who can will benefit even as things get more difficult.