During his appearance on this week’s edition of UFC Tonight, Dana White responded to recent criticisms of the Reebok deal from UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
Aldo claimed the Reebok deal is “sh*t” and called for a fighters union, however the UFC President has a different take on the situation.
“The UFC isn’t making the revenue that the NFL and the NBA are,” said White. “This is the first ever deal that we’ve had with a huge sporting apparel company like Reebok.”
White continued, “The fighters aren’t being treated well? They’re getting all the money. The fighters are getting paid every time they fight. Every time they step in the cage they’re being paid by Reebok and you can still keep all your sponsors.”
The UFC boss went on to claim Aldo is the perfect example of what he’s saying, as he told a story about a sponsorship battle that happened involving Aldo that resulted in him making more money.
“Jose Aldo is the perfect example,” said White. “Reebok went after Jose Aldo aggressively and [Brazilian MMA apparel brand] Venum was like, ‘You’re not taking Jose Aldo.’ Venum ended up keeping Jose Aldo. It paid him more money.”
Jose Aldo returns to the Octagon at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as he defends the UFC Featherweight Championship against Conor McGregor.
