UFC
Donald Cerrone says UFC's Reebok deal "hurting everybody," but you'll see him "fighting in Bellator next week" if he says too much
Aug 25, 2015 - 7:55:09 PM Donald Cerrone says UFC's Reebok deal "hurting everybody," but you'll see him "fighting in Bellator next week" if he says too much

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, who will challenge Rafael dos Anjos this December for the UFC Lightweight Championship, was asked about the UFC's Reebok deal late last week while on AXS TV's Inside MMA program.

Cerrone wasn't eager to go too in depth in his response, but made it clear his feelings aren't all that positive on the deal.

"That's a touchy subject. If I say something, you will see 'Cowboy' fighting in Bellator next week," Cerrone said (transcribed by BloodyElbow.com). "Yeah, the Reebok deal is definitely hurting everybody. All the big corporate sponsors I have are sticking with me, thank god... This is my first fight with the Reebok deal and all my sponsors said they're sticking by so we'll see. I'm proud to sit right here and enjoy a full bodied Budweiser."

Penick's Analysis: Cerrone's in a rare position to have sponsors eager and willing to work with him when they won't get exposure on a UFC broadcast. That helps him somewhat, even though he's said in the past he expects to lose $60K per fight under the deal. It's also not a great environment for fighters right now feeling as if they can't say anything about the deal, but it's not surprising given what happened to Stitch Duran and with how they've reacted to dissent from others in the past. Cerrone's in a better spot than others to speak out, but clearly even he's not comfortable giving his full thoughts on that situation.