No wonder why Jose Aldo was so vocal about his dislike for the controversial Reebok deal.
The undisputed number one pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the UFC turned down an offer from Reebok to stay with Venum, and he might lose his sponsorship deal after all.
Aldo was one of the harshest critics of the UFC’s sponsorship deal with Reebok, and famously tore it apart in an uncharacteristic diatribe in Brazil.
“Scarface” was offered an exclusive contract with the brand, but rejected it. As his team explained to MMA Fighting, Brazilian apparel brand Venum gave him a better deal even if it was less money than Reebok were willing to give him.
“(Reebok) money was a little over than what Venum used to pay, but with the discounts (in the United States) it would become less than what we make here,” Aldo’s manager Andre Pederneiras explained. “Taxes here are lower. It was a business decision, and we continued with Venum.”
However, ahead of arguably the biggest fight of his career against Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Aldo could part ways with Venum.
“We have a contract with Aldo until October, and we’ll have a conversation to see if it’s worth to continue with the sponsorship,” Venum’s Andre Vieira told Ag. Fight. “It’s really positive for the brand to have Jose Aldo as your cover boy, but do people see that? Does it bring us more visibility? Who gets this information?”
Prior to the Reebok deal, Aldo would wear Venum apparel walking into the cage, while fighting and at media events. Under the terms of the UFC’s deal with Reebok, fighters are only allowed to wear Reebok sportswear at UFC events, including the fights themselves.
As a result, Venum have stopped sponsoring several fighters in the promotionand Aldo could be the next to lose his deal.
“It was a different story in the past,” Vieira said. “You put your shorts and the whole world would see it. If I gave Jose Aldo 10,000 reais per month, I would get it back in return. Today, to have a third of this return, I have to give Aldo two 2,000 reais and spend more 8,000 in advertisement. It’s too much.”
