UFC
UFC reportedly conversing with "premium apparel line" for uniform deal, Ronda Rousey could be face of eventual campaign
Jul 28, 2014 - 2:45:32 PM UFC reportedly conversing with "premium apparel line" for uniform deal, Ronda Rousey could be face of eventual campaign

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Earlier this year, there were rumblings that the UFC was set to imminently unveil a new major apparel deal which would essentially become a new set uniform for their competitors. There were a lot of conversations on the pros and cons of such a deal, and whether fighters would reap the benefits monetarily, or if they'd lose out on further sponsorship money with restricted apparel options on fight night.

It became a non-issue, as it seemed whatever deal may have been in the works ultimately didn't come to fruition. Now, there's a renewed push on that front, with Ronda Rousey perhaps set to be at the front of any new deal.

That's according to a report from AdWeek.com, with the UFC's Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships quoted as saying the UFC is "actively engaged in conversations" with a "premium apparel line" for a uniform deal. Rousey is expected to be the face of a new line if the deal ultimately gets done.

To this point, Rousey's kept her sponsorships to a minimum, and she explained that she feels it provides more value to those who are sponsoring her when they're not crowded out by a number of other random logos.

"You give yourself more value if you don't walk out looking like a race car covered in ads," she said. "I like to think my sponsors are valued more because it's more clean looking."

Penick's Analysis: As the UFC continues to grow and as the years go by, they'll start taking more cues from other professional sports, and a uniform deal would be a step in that direction. Other sports leagues have major deals with a limited number of apparel companies to make their official uniforms, and this seems to be right along those lines. Rousey at the forefront of a new deal would make sense, whether it's with Under Armor, Reebok, Nike, etc., and though there will certainly be some on the roster negatively affected, there is every possibility it could wind up benefiting more than it hurts as well. As to Rousey's point, it certainly does look cleaner to have fewer logos plastered over a fighter's gear, but for a lot of the fighters lower on the totem pole, every sponsorship dollar counts.