Sherdog.com’s 2015 Story of the Year

1. The Reebok-UFC Apparel Deal

The news that the Ultimate Fighting Championship had signed a six-year agreement to make Reebok its exclusive outfitter was a pretty big deal in 2014, so big in fact that it checked in at No. 2 on Sherdog.com’s “Story of the Year” list.

Even then, we knew that the UFC-Reebok story was far from over: “There is so much to learn about the UFC’s partnership with Reebok, making it a contender to return to Sherdog.com’s ‘Story of the Year’ list next year,” the final paragraph in last year’s entry read. “For now, it is time air up those dusty old Pumps, because 2015 promises to be an interesting ride.”

As it turns out, “interesting” might have been far too complimentary a term to describe what has transpired over the past 12 months. What initially began as skepticism quickly transformed to scorn as the Reebok Fight Kits were unveiled over the summer. That the deal took money out of enterprising fighter’s pockets was the least surprising aspect of the new relationship; those most affected by the outfitting policy were bracing for that impact long before financial terms were ever disclosed.

“As of right now for this upcoming fight it’s been harder than ever to get sponsorships,” Sarah Kaufman told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” program prior to UFC 186 in April. “Because I think a lot of people and a lot of companies are clearly aware that Reebok is coming in and they’re taking over the market. So why put your money where you have in the past, and that’s the market that’s being taken over by Reebok. So it has definitely affected me for this fight.”

What was most astonishing was the overall indifference with which Reebok seemed to approach its new relationship. That a long-running respected athletic apparel company -- its clientele over the years has included the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Venus Williams, Eli Manning, David Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- would make so many obvious gaffes, running the gamut from careless to ignorant, suggests that Reebok simply is not all that invested in the UFC.

“When we began this project, we didn’t know exactly where it would end,” Reebok President Matt O’Toole said at a Fight Kit unveiling event in New York on June 30. “But we did know that we wanted to have a kit that delivered the very best high performance and technology for the fighter. We also wanted to represent the passion and pride the UFC fans have around the world.”

That day, in what Sherdog.com’s Jordan Breen dubbed as “a nationalistic fashion show from dubstep hell,” Reebok rolled out a set of UFC apparel so bland and so, well, uniform that the fighters showcasing the garb were likened to a deck of Uno cards by more than one observer. Thus marked the end of the era of individuality in the UFC, and no one in attendance, not even UFC brass or Reebok executives, seemed particularly thrilled to be there -- despite their claims to the contrary.

“One of the things that has happened over the last couple days, these guys have been here trying the things on -- and a lot of the fighters had input on how this stuff was made -- but it’s been nothing but positive,” UFC President Dana White said at the unveiling. “At the end of the day, that’s what matters to us, that the fighters like it.”

Shortly thereafter, it became increasingly difficult to put a positive spin on an apparel brand that initially emphasized four key tenets: strength, speed, comfort and flexibility. Conspicuous by its absence was “accuracy,” which would become painfully evident in the days and months that followed.

Perhaps nothing will define the beginning of the Reebok era more than the company’s “Giblert” Melendez jersey, which instantly became the butt of jokes as fans and media began perusing the Reebok online store. A minor miscue here and there would be understandable, especially considering the size and fluidity of the UFC’s roster, but it was not like Reebok had butchered the name of some run-of-the-mill preliminary fighter. Melendez, a former UFC title challenger, Strikeforce champion and consensus top 10 lightweight, was most definitely a somebody -- at least in the MMA realm.

Melendez was not the only victim of Reebok’s ignominious Opening Day. Ex-light heavyweight king Lyoto Machida was confused with Marcio Alexandre Jr., whose nickname is “Lyoto,” and “Jacare” Souza was pegged with the moniker “Ronaldo,” which just so happens to be his first name; and then there was Josh Koscheck, who initially had a Reebok shirt available online despite being under contract with Bellator MMA.

“I believe that Reebok and [the UFC] are going to be getting legal notices in the next day or so from my attorney to take that s--- down because it’s horrible,” Koscheck told Sherdog.com in June. “It’s not good for the fighters. Not at all.”

As it turns out, the deal was not so good for geography, either. Before the UFC traveled to Dublin in October, Reebok unveiled an “Ireland Map Tee” to commemorate the occasion. There was just one not-so-minor problem: Northern Ireland was not included on the shirt.

“An incredibly insensitive stupid divisive idea,” SBG Ireland head trainer John Kavanagh wrote on Twitter. “It’s removed by the end of the day or SBG is gone. I expect a sincere apology to Irish fans.”

Reebok was quick to issue an apology for the T-shirt mishap, attributing the oversight to a “design error” before removing the shirt from the online store. It is probably not a good idea to anger the coach of one of the UFC’s biggest money makers, but then again, Reebok was not exactly paying attention to detail when it included a patch with an American flag on a Conor McGregor champion’s kit sold to a fan or when it listed the recently crowned featherweight king’s specialty as “Brasilian jiu-jitsu.”

That was just par for the course in a year filled with embarrassing gaffes, typos and oversights. By December, the ongoing incompetence made it seem as though Reebok was trying to sabotage its UFC relationship on purpose. Otherwise, how does one explain the celebration of middleweight champion “Anderson Aldo,” the coronation of Ryan Bader as heavyweight champ or tagging Anthony Pettis with “The Mauler” nickname?

Reebok has repeatedly gone to the well with the same excuses, blaming various design and printing errors for a seemingly endless string of mistakes. Do not expect too much criticism from those under contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion, however, lest they meet the same fate that befell Jacob “Stitch” Duran earlier this year. The popular cutman was fired by the UFC after he spoke out against the Reebok deal in an interview with BloodyElbow.com.

While Duran’s primary concern was lost income, not inaccuracy, the message was clear: Critique the UFC’s business partner at your own risk. Still, some six months after the outfitting policy officially took effect, it appears that what should have been a groundbreaking deal has proven to be woefully inadequate for both parties involved. Just do not expect anyone to admit it.

“The backlash to Reebok was ridiculous but everybody thinks they know all about this s--- and they have all the answers,” White told The Telegraph in October. “But let me tell you -- this has been an absolute home run for Reebok. Home run for them.”

At this point, those most affected by the deal -- the fighters -- would settle for an infield single.

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