The Reebok uniforms are coming, so let’s remember the good times.
From UFC 189, fighters will no longer have the privilege of choosing their own walkout t-shirts. Under the new sponsorship deal, athletes will only be allowed to wear Reebok apparel in the cage, walking to the cage and at every media event during fight week.
To cope with the grieving process of the impending death of this beloved tradition, we’ve decided to select our favourite walkout shirts in the history of the promotion.
15. Jon Fitch – UFC 156
The colour may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you’ve got to admire that unique design. What’s not to like about an old-timey poster of a fictional fight between a moustachioed, top hat wearing man and a Grizzly bear?
14. Francisco Rivera – UFC 170
Despite the skateboarding slogan, this one won us over for it subtle, yet intricate design. We’re big fans of paradoxes.
13. Frankie Edgar – UFC 136
Affliction tend to make designs that assault the eyeballs with detail, but the pared-down Edgar signature hits all the right notes in our book.
12. Jose Aldo – UFC 136
Aldo might have been the co-main to Edgar’s headline bout at UFC 136, but we feel his walkout shirt deserves a higher billing than the Answer’s. It also doubles as a Seven Samurai t-shirt.
11. Mike King – UFC Dublin
Not the most well-liked fighter by Irish fans, after he was caught juicing for his bout with Cathal Pendred. However, his shirt earned a place on our list for utilising his immaculate nickname alone.
10. Chris Weidman – UFC 175
Bad Boy could have gone all “Rock, Flag and Eagle” with their design for the All American. Instead, they managed to convey his patriotism with this understated effort.
9. Chan Sung Jung – UFC on Fuel TV
He’s Korean, he fights like a zombie, and here’s the shirt to prove it.
8. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – UFC 134
They’ve managed to incorporate Shogun’s moniker into the Brazilian flag without making it look unbearably gaudy.
7. Lyoto Machida – UFC 140
Another solid effort from Affliction, once again proving that toning things back a smidge makes for a more attractive looking shirt. Believe me, this is a lot more subtle than some of their other designs.
6. Alexander Gustafsson – UFC on Fox 14
The Mauler had a few candidates for our list, but the most memorable for us was for the fight he’d most like to forget. He may have been knocked out by Anthony Johnson in the first European stadium event in his home country, but at least he did it in style.
5. Johny Hendricks – UFC 167
No explanation needed, surely.
4. Kelvin Gastelum – UFC 180
The perfect design for the Mexican-American fighter for his headline bout in the UFC’s first Mexico-based event.
3. Stipe Miocic – UFC on Fox 10
If you take anything away from this article, it should be that if you want your national colours on a walkout shirt, Bad Boy is the only place to go. Just ask Croatian-American heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic.
2. Chris Leben – UFC 155
A bold design, but it suits the explosive personality of the fiery-haired former WEC middleweight champion.
1. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson – UFC on Fox 14
There was only ever going to be one winner here. You’d be forgiven for forgetting what Anthony “Rumble” Johnson wore before his bout with Gustafsson considering his outfit was overshadowed by his phenomenal performance. However, his back to basics-style walkout shirt is our undisputed pound-for-pound champ.
It’s simple, elegant and all the other adjectives you wouldn’t normally associate with MMA.
Supposedly, Rumble is going to don a baby blue version for his title fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 187. It might just top the red one..
