We're pleased that Reebok will continue with us as the official footwear provider of UFC through 2021," said Dana White in a statement in July, 2020. The collaboration with Reebok began in 2014 when the UFC signed a six-year deal with the sporting goods giant worth $70 million.

UFC's deal with Reebok came to an end after UFC 260 on March 27, 2021. The premier MMA promotion switched to Venum for their official uniforms and apparel. With a redesigned payment structure for UFC athletes, fighters are making significantly more than they were in the Reebok era.

three years The brand will continue to design, produce and distribute the promotion's performance apparel for the length of the new contract, reportedly three years.

Signed in late 2014 and starting in Q2 of 2015, the six-year deal was originally reported to be worth $70 million total over its lifespan. The deal was one of many major policy changes the UFC had unilaterally enacted on their fighters over the last few years of the Fertitta era.

It was a wild success story that saw Reebok's sales spike from $12.8 million in 1983 to $310 million in 1985, and well over one billion in 1987 and thereafter. Get retail news like this in your inbox daily. Subscribe to Retail Dive.

Project Rock In late August, the UFC announced a multi-year partnership with Project Rock, a partnership between Johnson and Under Armour to create co-branded footwear that would be provided to fighters as part of their official kit for bouts.

Reese Witherspoon, Joe Jonas, Sydney Sweeney, Gigi Hadid, Sofia Richie, Emily Ratajkowski, Katie Holmes, Kate Bosworth and The Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe have all been spotted wearing these iconic sneakers. And, as you can see from the photos, they really do go with everything.

Jump forward to 2021, the brand has now become the official clothing sponsor of the UFC (replacing Reebok). Venum's commitment to quality and innovation has made it one of the most popular brands in the industry, and its products are now used by fighters and fitness enthusiasts all over the world.

It was in 2004 that Franck Dupuis, then a salesman at IBM, decided to put an end to a promising career to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: the creation of the Venum brand. His ambition: to revolutionize the world of combat sports by proposing something never seen before.

In pursuit of the basketball market, Reebok signed Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal in the '90s. They were both huge stars of the day, and helped Reebok become associated with the basketball space.

Brand identity crisis: Reebok also struggled with a clear brand identity, which made it difficult to connect with consumers. While the brand was known for its sports performance footwear, it also tried to branch out into other areas, such as fashion and lifestyle products, without a clear strategy or direction.

One of the company's most iconic technologies, the Reebok Pump, debuted in 1989 with more than 100 professional athletes wearing the footwear by 1992, including Shaquille O'Neal.

Although Reebok is famous for their shoes, during the 80s they started to introduce a wider range of products that included sports accessories and clothing. Over the years Reebok has developed high-quality clothing products such as track tops, and still maintain high-standard designs up to the present day.