Reebok Steps into the Octagon®

Source: M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment

December 2, 2014 - Canton, MA – Global fitness leader Reebok today announced a groundbreaking partnership with UFC®, the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization. Under the long-term deal, Reebok will become the exclusive authentic global outfitter of UFC, creating for the first time ever UFC ‘Fight Week gear’ and a ‘Fight Night kit’ for all UFC athletes. Reebok will also be the apparel provider for millions of UFC fans around the world.

In addition to benefiting UFC athletes and fans, the Reebok and UFC alliance also has a significant charitable component. In 2015, promotional efforts will see a percentage of sales from Reebok/UFC product directly benefit Fight for Peace, an international NGO that uses boxing and martial arts, combined with education and personal development, to realize the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence.

“This partnership is much more than a licensing agreement,” said Matt O’Toole, President, Reebok.  “It is a true collaboration between two great brands, which will not only give UFC a new and exciting look, but will harness the global reach of both brands to also benefit young people around the world, particularly those at risk of being involved in crime and violence.”

“Together with Reebok we are changing the landscape of MMA,” said Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Working with another global brand with such a strong history in training and fitness will deliver long-term value for UFC athletes and their brands by elevating and further professionalizing the events and the sport. Every UFC athlete will benefit from high quality performance apparel specifically developed, tested and produced for MMA athletes. Never before has the sport had a global athletic footwear and apparel brand committed to investing so much in the research and development of products specifically for MMA.” 

The Reebok/UFC apparel line, including the ‘Fight Week gear,’ ‘Fight Night kit,’ and UFC fan gear, will be developed in conjunction with UFC and its athletes, including current Reebok athletes UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks and UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis. In addition, UFC athletes will be helping Reebok to develop a new fight training-specific apparel collection. 

“Not only is Mixed Martial Arts one of the fastest growing sports in the world, it is also one of the most challenging in terms of the dedication to training, overall fitness level and mental and physical toughness required. And nowhere is this on display more than in the UFC Octagon,” said O’Toole. “This partnership not only further cements Reebok as one of the leading fitness brands in the industry, it will also help us reach a wider audience and become the brand of choice for the more than 35 million consumers worldwide who use disciplines like boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts to live a fit lifestyle.”

Partnership to Benefit Fight for Peace
Last week, at Fight for Peace’s Academy in London, Reebok announced its long-term commitment to Fight for Peace, which was founded in 2000 by Luke Dowdney MBE, a former amateur boxer and British light-middleweight Universities champion, as well as the acquisition of LUTA Sportswear, an authentic boxing and MMA brand, also founded by Dowdney to help support Fight for Peace’s mission.

“Our partnership with Reebok is incredibly exciting for Fight for Peace and its future and Reebok entering into this long-term deal with the UFC will magnify the positive impact and reach of this partnership,” said Dowdney.  “Reebok and Fight for Peace have a shared belief in the power of fitness – and specifically fight training - and the impact it can have on young people’s lives, particularly those who are impacted by crime and violence. Today’s announcement between Reebok and the UFC will help us continue to build international awareness for the Fight for Peace mission, allowing us to reach even more at risk young people globally.”

• For further information and assets please visit the Reebok News Stream at news.reebok.com
• For further information on UFC please visit www.ufc.com
• For further information on Fight For Peace please visit www.fightforpeace.net
  
  

About Reebok
Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Canton, MA, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of fitness and lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment. An American-inspired global brand, Reebok is a pioneer in the sporting goods industry with a rich and storied fitness heritage. Reebok develops products, technologies and programming which enable movement and is committed to accompanying people on their journey to fulfill their potential. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s training, running, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. A subsidiary of the adidas Group, Reebok operates under the multiple divisions of the Reebok brand, Reebok-CCM Hockey and the Sports Licensed Division.  Reebok is the exclusive outfitter of CrossFit and the Reebok CrossFit Games, the official title sponsor of the Reebok Spartan Race and exclusive apparel provider for Les Mills.

For more information, visit Reebok at www.reebok.com or, for the latest news at https://www.thenewsmarket.com/about. 
Or, discover Reebok at the following locations: https://www.facebook.com/reebok; http://twitter.com/reebok; and https://www.youtube.com/reebok

About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC. 

About Fight for Peace
Fight for Peace was founded in 2000 in Rio de Janeiro by Luke Dowdney MBE, a former amateur boxer, to offer alternatives to gun and gang violence to young people growing up in the city’s toughest favelas. Fight for Peace is now a comprehensive program combining boxing & martial arts with education, employability, personal development and youth leadership programs, as well as offering a range of youth support services. In November 2007 the Fight for Peace London Academy was established in the borough of Newham to help support disadvantaged young people through its holistic model. Fight for Peace directly benefits over 3,000 young people each year in its Rio and London Academies, and has now trained over 100 community based organizations in its methodology across 24 countries, supporting over 100,000 young people in communities affected by crime and violence around the world. For more information, please visit www.fightforpeace.net