By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
For the second time in less than a year, Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship scored a daytime broadcast spot on ABC. UFC Fight Night headlined by middleweights Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland was simulcast on ABC, ESPN Desportes, and ESPN+ at a noon start time.
The event was also the debut of the promotion’s new Venum clothing athlete fight kit. Venum is now UFC’s exclusive in Octagon wear and fight week apparel sponsor. The contract means more to athletes than just fight day shorts. More importantly, it also comes with a slight increase in pay across the board for all fighters.
The new increased amount depends on how many fights an athlete has had in UFC, and the money is heavier at the top as it trickles down to be a bit less for challengers. UFC champions will now take home $42,000 in fight week incentive pay compared to $40,000 provided by Reebok, the previous uniform sponsor.
Title challengers earn $32,000 and athletes with 21 or more UFC fights will earn $21,000, an increase of $1,000. With an incentive purse of $16,000, athletes with between 16 and 20 fights will also take home an extra $1,000. Finally, entry level fighters with less than three fights have been earmarked $4,000 compared to the previous $3,500.
UFC senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein told ESPN, “This is not a profit center for us. Whether it’s cash out the door or where it’s product, we’re delivering it to the athletes. All the value is essentially going to them. We’re not really making anything on this. We do feel the look and feel of the product itself is great for the UFC brand, but when it comes to cash it’s all going to the athletes, whether in actual cash or product.”
Epstein also said the deal is for “three or so” years.
March 27, at UFC 260, marked the final fight on the organization’s six-year-tenure $70 million deal with Reebok. The partnership had a bit of a rocky start in 2014 with incorrect names being displayed on fight week posters, promotional t-shirts with the name Anderson Aldo instead of UFC legend Anderson Silva. Perhaps the biggest blunder occurred when Reebok CEO called Lorenzo Fertitta “Lorenzo Fatatta.”
UFC has come a long way from having fighters supplying their own clothing. However, athletes were also allowed to solicit and display their own sponsors during fight week and in the octagon. Fighters and fans have heavily criticized UFC for his move. It took away their ability to directly benefit from self promotion.
Venum, a longtime combat sports clothing and equipment brand, sponsored over 200 athletes between 2009 and 2015. The company has developed five types of fight shorts that have long and short cut designs. According to its website, the purpose is to “Accompany the fighters in every step of their journey, from the daily training session to fight night.”
Billed as UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Holland the thirteen fight card was slotted during daytime programming on ABC’s various platforms. Marvin Vettori prevailed in a complete shut-out, unanimous decision, of the once surging Kevin Holland who now finds himself on a two-fight losing skid. The event also featured Nina Nunes vs Makenzie Dern, a history making UFC match between the first two mothers ever on a daytime ABC fight card. It marked the return of Nina Nunes, the wife of Amanda Nunes, six-months after having her first child. Nunes lost via an armbar to Dern who became a new mom just two year ago.
UFC is back in action at Apex in Las Vegas in a week April 17 for its final event without fans before heading to a sold-out VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville,FL on April 24.