UFC-Reebok Deal: TJ Dillashaw's Sanabul Partnership Shows Fighters Considering Other Revenue Sources

Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw revealed a contributor toward his second win over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227 earlier this month was his partnership with Sanabul, a premium athletic and combat sports gear brand.

Dillashaw signed with Sanabul two weeks before UFC 227 and was provided with proper customized training gear that carried him through intense training leading up to the fight.

In the end, he was able to end his rivalry with Garbrandt, emphatically knocking his former teammate out in the first round to retain his title.

"My partnership with Sanabul began a few weeks before my title defense with Cody," Dillashaw told International Business Times. "In that time, I was supplied with top of the line products to help put the finishing touches on my fight camp, outfit my training partners with some new gear and had amazing custom-made gloves designed to my tastes."

Dillashaw is not the only fighter partnered up with Sanabul — the likes of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, Sean O'Malley, Alan Jouban and Guilherme Vasconcelos are also on the team as the brand looks to continue developing the best products for their customers. They are also in the process of working on a special T.J. Dillashaw line.

Partnerships such as these are especially important for fighters, particularly in the UFC. In Dec. 2014, the Las Vegas-based promotion signed a six-year, $70 million deal with Reebok, which allowed the footwear and apparel company to be the exclusive outfitter for the UFC.

It meant fighters had to wear Reebok uniforms and apparel, and could not wear their own sponsors in the octagon or other UFC events such as the weigh-ins. In addition, fighters would be paid sponsorship money through a tiered system, based on the number of fights they have or their status as a champion or title challenger.

The deal has led to plenty of scrutiny with many fighters even leaving the UFC for Bellator. Most cite sponsorship money as a major factor for their departures as they could earn more from their sponsors while at Bellator than they would be fighting in the UFC under the Reebok deal.

"I won't lie, it was a very big deal," Former UFC lightweight champion, now Bellator fighter Benson Henderson said via ESPN. "The ability to get sponsors on your own and not have to rely on the amount that Reebok dictates to you was a huge factor. I'd be straight up lying if I said it wasn't a very big part of my decision to go to Bellator."

And given the continued issue of fighter pay, it's no surprise that many are calling for fighters to unionize so they get a bigger (and fairer) piece of the pie, especially with UFC president Dana White's claims that the company is now worth $7 billion.

For now, partnerships such as the one with Sanabul help fighters like Dillashaw out, especially in their time away from the octagon.

"I feel it's important to align yourself with brands that have similar goals and ideologies," Dillashaw explained. "A uniform doesn't allow for us to showcase our personalities or stylistic differences. That is why my partnership with Sanabul is so important to me. We have the ability to create new concepts and designs together as well as make improvements to the quality of gear that people use."

"[Partnerships are] extremely important. Partnerships with different brands allows us as athletes to showcase our unique personalities and interests. Also, endorsements provide another stream of revenue which helps support us during periods of time in which we aren't competing," he said.