How long before a major athletic brand starts sponsoring fighters

and making fight gear?

Seeing all the Sprawl, Cage Fighter, and Everlast got me thinking about how soon we'll see a major brand like Nike or Adidas making their own fight shorts. In reality this is a huge difference between sprawl shorts and some Under Armor basketball shorts I train in.

Im surprised Nike doesnt already.

Farmer, most of these companies aren't very adept at getting out ahead of the curve. Hell, I'm not sure Nike makes boxing shorts. It's just not a big enough market for them to consider... I mean it's not as if you have MMA in middle schools, high schools and colleges where hudreds of thousands of people are suiting up. It's all about the big bucks... Not the little ones.

Or, unless there is more product to make such as unitard's with elbow and knee pads embedded and ninja shoes with padding on top to reduce damage from strikes? Yeah, that's what it might take to make the sport really mainstream anyway. If a universal MMA rule was put in place requiring the afforementioned and killing the sport to 99.9% of the current fan base, the big companies may jump on board. In other words... When hell freezes over.

Nike will prolly go after GSP if he keeps winning

I think Adidas will be the first major clothing brand to jump no board. Just a hunch.

everlast was the shit in the 80's

Go after GSP for what? It's not like with Tiger where they opened up a golf line for one guy to sell to millions of people. Millions of people aren't buying MMA shorts. Unless their plan is to outfit GSP in Nike street gear, they aren't jumping into MMA anytime soon.

Even Adidas is too big to worry about it, for now. I think it stays with smaller companies and start-ups like Tapout. Large athletic companies are after much bigger shares than selling a few thousand pairs of shorts. Just a poor marketing move... Hell, most of these companies would fire your ass for pitching the idea right now...

LikesToFightGuy wrote:

Go after GSP for what? It's not like with Tiger where they opened up a golf line for one guy to sell to millions of people. Millions of people aren't buying MMA shorts. Unless their plan is to outfit GSP in Nike street gear, they aren't jumping into MMA anytime soon.

MMA has more potential for growth than any other sport out there. Nike knows this. They are a marketing firm more than a shoe, or golf firm. They will jump on the band wagon at some point in the future. And GSP is the one guy who's good that has mass apeal. Chuck is a waterhead, Spider, Machida, and Fedor don't speak english and don't have much of a personallity. Fedor is still a posibility because of his mystique.

ohiovol62 wrote:

Nike will prolly go after GSP if he keeps winning

That's what I was thinking. I had heard that GSP was going to get a lot of new big name sponsors like Nike and Gatorade after the Tiger Woods fallout but haven't heard much lately on it.

I think Under Armour would actually be the first to jump onto this bandwagon.

Nike would never get involved with MMA. I still stay the only chances are Adaidas and Converse.

OUSOONERSOU wrote:

Nike would never get involved with MMA. I still stay the only chances are Adaidas and Converse.

Nike fabricates boxing and wrestling gear, not hard to see them doing MMA someday.

GDPofDRC wrote:

OUSOONERSOU wrote:

Nike would never get involved with MMA. I still stay the only chances are Adaidas and Converse.

Nike fabricates boxing and wrestling gear, not hard to see them doing MMA someday.

Adidas makes boxing and wrestling gear too.

http://www.mywrestlingroom.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.catshow/catid/859

http://store.titleboxing.com/adidas-punch-mitts.html

NoRegrets hit the nail on the head! Under Armour would be great and there a ton of companies who would love sponsor fighters, but are not going to plop down $100,000 a year to sponsor fighters.

Looks like this thread is a little late.

Nike already tested the waters in Japan

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2007/01/03/caol-uno-x-nike-10ac-mma-training-wear/#more-2205

Hmm.... Adidas & Nike both make Gis for TKD

http://www.challengermartialarts.com/adidassupermaster.htm

http://www.challengermartialarts.com/nikegrandmaster.htm

It is only a matter of time before Nike makes something major for GSP.

I wasn't thinking training gear like wrestling uni's, pads or shoes, Farmer. Testing the waters in Japan means little here unless sales go through the roof. I still think that selling a few thousand shorts, uni's, pads and mouth pieces is such a drop in the bucket to them that we don't see huge sponsorship dollars or even "actual" fight gear for some time.

timthebim wrote:

Im surprised Nike doesnt already.

you will never realize how close they were to having a deal with Lions Den (and probably other people I just now for a fact they talked about it) back in the old days
had it not been for the negative press the sport recieved earlier it would have happened a long time ago

Farmer1906 wrote:

Looks like this thread is a little late.

Nike already tested the waters in Japan

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2007/01/03/caol-uno-x-nike-10ac-mma-training-wear/#more-2205

and I was gpoing to say it was mainly because of the popularity in Japan!

Both GSP and Aoki are sponsored by underarmor.

Im surprised under armor isn't like the number 1 brand. Relatively new company popular with the same age group that mma is popular with.