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The UFC Venum “Fight Kits” were finally revealed and released to the general public on Tuesday, and most people seem to think they look almost exactly like the old kits that Reebok made.
Fight Kits are what UFC fighters wear inside the Octagon on fight night. Last year, the UFC announced it would switch over from longtime partner Reebok to Venum in 2021, so people were excited to see what the new company was going to do with that deal.
You can get a quick look at the new line below.
When you find the perfect fit… it just feels right 🐍
💢 UFC Authentic Fight Night Kits | @Venum
[ Now on @UFCStore: t.co/j5B1Dgf6fJ ]
You can watch a promotional video below about the launch featuring several UFC stars including UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙀𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.
[ Explore the new collection: t.co/j5B1Dgf6fJ ]
For many on Twitter, the release of the new gear meant just one thing. It was time to judge.
everyone getting ready to judge the Venum fight kits tomorrow
And that’s what happened.
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‘Fairly Similar’ and Other Reactions
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani posted, “New Venum uniforms are out. Looks fairly similar to the Reebok ones, IMO…”
Additionally, Helwani pointed out that UFC fighters would still be wearing Reebok shoes as the company still has that deal with the UFC.
Sherdog’s Jay Pettry posted about his hopes being dashed as well as the perceived high cost of the clothes.
He posted, “Welcome to the lackluster Venum era, where we had high hopes only to get Reebok 2.0 just with a snake. I’m not remotely surprised, mister falcons. But did you see the price? Preposterous”.
According to UFC Store, a new Venum walkout hoodie costs consumers $150, shorts range from $130-$140, and hats begin at $40.
So many of the posts on social media were about those price tags as well as the apparent lack of design change.
One MMA fan posted a comparison picture for reference. You can see it below and judge for yourself.
Another MMA fan stated, “It looks like Reebok to me”.
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‘Vast Improvement’ and Other Reactions
Still, not everyone was unhappy with Venum’s new UFC garb. In fact, several people really seemed to like what they saw on Launch Day.
MMA journalist Chad Dundas hailed the line as a “vast improvement”.
Another journalist, Jason Hagholm, posted that the Fight Kits “look good” to him, and he expressed excitement about seeing them for the first time in the cage during this weekend’s UFC on ABC 2 card.
Another person pointed out how different the Reebok line has looked over the years.
If I’m ever having a bad day I just remember how much Reebok fucked up
Another posted, “The new green Venum shorts are 100x cooler than anything Reebok made…”.
The new green Venum shorts are 100x cooler than anything Reebok made #UFC
So there were a wide variety of reactions to the UFC’s new Venum Fight Kits on social media Tuesday.
While a slight majority seemed to be at least a tad underwhelmed with the release, it’s also probably true that social media posts about new things tend to skew toward the negative.
The most important data will be how many people buy the new line of clothes compared to what was sold previously by Reebok.
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