You can now add the CageFighter brand to the list of apparel companies the UFC is banning from sponsoring fighters in the Octagon.
MMAPayout.com is reporting that MMA Authentic, who makes the well-known CageFighter brand, has been banned from sponsoring UFC fighters inside the Octagon.
The dispute is rumored to have arisen from a conflict over shelf space in Wal-mart stores. Sources told MMAPayout.com that CageFighter/MMA Authentics beat out the UFC for the valuable real estate in the nation’s top retailer. As a result Zuffa pulled the plug on MMA Authentics’ access to the Octagon in retaliation.
The UFC is able to take such measures by exercising Article 22.1 of the Zuffa Standard Contract, which states that “Fighter covenants and agrees that no wording, symbols, pictures, designs, names or other advertising or informational material… ii. of any sponsor in conflict or competition with Zuffa or any of Zuffa’s sponsors.”
According to the UFC Sponsor Request form sent out to all fighters and obtained by MMAPayout.com, “in addition to Affliction and the Xtreme Couture t-shirt brand, Cage Fighter, MMA Authentic, Familia Gladitoria and MMA Elite will also not be permitted. The Xtreme Couture Training Center is permitted provided, however, the logo must clearly refer to the mixed martial arts training centers and gyms.”
Quite a few well known fighters are sponsored by CageFighter including B.J. Penn, Chuck Liddell, Roger Huerta, Urijah Faber, Forrest Griffin, and Michael Bisping.
What is even more humorous to me is that the Xtreme Couture brand is still banned from the Octagon even after Randy Couture’s return to the UFC. Fighters can wear Xtreme Couture Training Center clothing but not the generic Xtreme Couture t-shirts. My guess it this is because the Xtreme Couture shirts so closely resemble the Affliction branded shirts.
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bvrasp
R.J. St.Croix
Timbo Slice
DZ
StuDog
I think the Xtreme Couture shirts resemble Affliction so much because they are made by Affliction. Thats why they look the same, have the same websites, were once all on the Afllictionclothing.com site, and have the same company address.
Yeah, of course but they are still considered different “brands”
As much as I’m constantly defending Zuffa, this decision makes no sense and steals money from the fighters.
Bad move.
there is a WalMart like three minutes from my house and they dont sell nether UFC or MMA Authentic merchandise, must be just a Canadian thing. the way i see it is the UFC should focus on promoting MMA events and promoting MMA fighters a little more and focus on clothing lines a lot less.
its all about the money.. even with allot of the ‘mma clothing’ brands.
just a new target group to sell stuff too. Especially with affliction and tap out.
On the other hand the ufc are a bunch of megalomaniacs
trying to control whatever they can. Monopolism isnt good!