UFC
Anderson Silva on negotiating with Reebok: "If it's not something good for us, I won't sign with them"
Dec 18, 2014 - 6:45:35 PM Anderson Silva on negotiating with Reebok: "If it's not something good for us, I won't sign with them"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"We're in negotiations with them. We will see what we're going to do. If it's not something good for us, I won't sign with them. We have to be happy with the deal, and it has to be financially good for me as well. Everybody knows I was sponsored by Nike and that I always wore Nike. I love Nike. That's the truth. I feel true to myself when I'm with Nike, so I can't wear a brand that doesn't make me feel true to myself. If I feel good with what Reebok offers me, I would definitely use it every day, or I'll just use it in the Octagon and that's it... I think it's the evolution of the sport. Athletes don't know how it's going to be yet, but I believe it's going to be good for the sport. My managers will have a meeting with Reebok, and we'll know more about it."

-Anderson Silva talked to media in Brazil this week about negotiations with Reebok after the UFC's apparel deal was announced (via MMAFighting.com).

Penick's Analysis: This is where things are probably going to get interesting with this Reebok deal. Silva and other non-Champions who have clout aren't going to be all that keen about being paid strictly for their ranking in the organization, so what's the determination going to be for just who gets to negotiate other deals with Reebok? And if some non-champions have that option, but others don't, and can't bring other sponsors to TV, there's even more cause for uproar amongst those who have lost any power for added sponsorship on television. With that said, if the payouts for that level of fighter can equal or surpass what they were getting for TV and fight week sponsors, that's a different story. It doesn't seem possible for that to fully be the case, but we just don't know right now as it hasn't been entirely laid out. That's also one of the many issues with the deal as it stands, because there are nothing but questions thus far.

[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]