A lot has been said on the new Reebok deal that requires all UFC fighters to exclusively wear the apparel inside the octagon.
While some see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, others are pretty much vocal about their displeasure toward this agreement - one of which happens to be arguably the biggest sports marketing companies in Brazil.
9ine, a company owned by Brazilian football legend Ronaldo, just released a statement regarding its release of former UFC champions Vitor Belfort and Junior Dos Santos due to said deal.
Basically, 9ine called the Reebok contract "unfair" to the fighters, especially those who get the short end of the stick so to speak.
It's no secret that the discrepancy of pay between a champion, money-raking fighter like Ronda Rousey is continents away from that of an up-and-coming, prelim brawler of Brendan Schaub's and Ramsey Nijem's caliber.
From Schaub to Nijem, these mixed martial arts warriors openly voiced out their opinions - with some even going as far as cutting ties with the company.
In fact, these "lower tier" fighters have been mostly relying on sponsors to get them through training camp and probably their everyday lives.
On the surface, main event MMA superstars like Belfort and Dos Santos don't seem to feel the impact of the said Reebok deal; but at the end of the day, it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth of fighters because they didn't have a say on it.
All things considered, whether these fighters took a stand or not, UFC is simply showing a prospective effect of a potentially beneficial endeavor for both parties, which in most cases, is far from the reality of what these athletes have to go through inside the octagon.
Real blood, bucket loads of sweat, and countless hours are spent in and out of the gym just to put on a show for the fans and all the people they fight for.
Would it be hard for the UFC to come up with a non-theoretical, highly-beneficial solution?