Brazil legend Ronaldo severs links with UFC over ‘unfair’ Reebok deal

A marketing agency owned by Brazilian football legend Ronaldo has ended its relationship with the UFC due to his opposition to the organisation's new sponsorship deal with Reebok.

The World Cup winner's firm, 9ine Sports & Entertainment, has worked with Brazilian UFC stars such as Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort and Junior dos Santos, but claim the Reebok arrangement "directly hurts all athletes from the organization, and also the companies that supported and backed the UFC for many years". Reebok and the UFC recently agreed a deal that sees fighters exclusively wear Reebok branding during the fight week, with the sports apparel giant paying fixed amounts in place of the promotion's previous policy which allowed fighters to arrange their own, often lucrative, deals. A statement from 9ine said that the company was 'taking a stand as to what we believe is unfair to athletes'. It also said:

The agency does not believe in the new model adopted by the company in attracting sponsorship and believes that this directly hurts all athletes from the organization, and also the companies that supported and backed the UFC for many years. ... We have principles based on the vision of a former athlete and sports fan. Our president, Ronaldo Nazario, does not tolerate seeing an organization change its sponsorship funding rules and fighter remuneration -- arbitrarily -- without taking a stand.

Reports that Brendan Schaub is chairman of 9ine are, as yet, unconfirmed.