Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and global sporting goods company Reebok revealed the uniforms (seen above) that UFC fighters will wear during fight week and in the octagon starting at UFC 189 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 20 UFC athletes, including women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, middleweight champion Chris Weidman, and featherweight number contender Conor McGregor donned the performance gear at the New York City media event.
“There’s never been anything designed for women in combat sports so I was wearing yoga and running stuff and women fighters just have different bodies,” says Rousey. “I would also get annoyed when my lats would hang over in the back of the bra and it would just look terrible.”
Rousey’s worries about uncomfortable bras and wardrobe malfunctions have been put to rest thanks to the first-ever bra designed solely for combat sports. Along with the bra, the women’s “fight kits” come with 2-in-1 compression shorts, another pair of shorts, an Octagon skort an Octagon jersey tank, a polyester UFC jersey, and a walkout hoodie. As for the men’s fight kits, they include a UFC jersey, three different pairs of Octagon shorts, and a walkout hoodie.
There are three variations of the kit: the Champion kit, which has gold emblems and trim, is worn only by champions, the Country kit which has country specific colors and badges and the Universal kit, which will be black and silver with a global badge. Reebok also launched its Combat line, performance apparel for fitness enthusiasts who train like fighters.
“The UFC Fight Kit is available at ufcstore.com, reebok.com, and Reebok FitHubs and Sports Authority will have Fight Shops inside their top 50 stores,” says Matt O’Toole, President of Reebok. “Our goal is for UFC-licensed product to be thought of in the same way that wearing an NFL jersey to a football game would be. There will be other retailers that will ultimately be a part of it.”
UFC President Dana White echoed the same sentiment that this is just the beginning of the performance road for Reebok and UFC.
“This is the first round of the kit and it’s going to be battle tested,” White says. “In five years, this clothing is really going to be dialed in. It’s already the best combat performance gear for people that are training or fighting.”
This “first round” of the kit included input from fighters such as Rousey who said that she suggested a no-seam design for the shorts and a deep hooded sweatshirt.
“This is the next generation of what I’ve working with Reebok to make,” Rousey says. “I wear a bun with a hood over it so I was very adamant about the deep hood. You have to have it shield the eyes and look mean. They listened and I’m really happy how things turned out.”
White also expressed his pleasure with the uniforms and their presentation today.
“I’m really happy with the product,” White says. “Reebok has designed this gear that is not only to enhance performance in training and combat, but it also looks clean and professional like every other major sports league.”
Another thing that sets UFC apart from every other major sports league is it’s legal status in New York City-professional mixed martial arts is not a legal sport in the Big Apple. Yet. White shared an update on the status on bringing UFC to the City.
“We’re going to keep hammering it and we should be in Madison Square Garden in December putting on an event that will bring $100 million to the city in revenue,” White says. “It’s all in the hands of the politicians so keep calling your representative.”
