Getty Gunnar Nelson submits Bryan Barbarena at UFC 286
Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson has been awarded a $5,000 bonus by UFC sponsor Prime Hydration, after scoring an armbar finish atop the Prime canvas logo at UFC 286 on March 18.
‘Maybe I Should Bill Them?’: Gunnar Nelson on ‘Primebar’ Finish
Prime co-founder Logan Paul released a video reacting to Nelson submitting Bryan Barbarena on top of the in-cage Prime logo, with the caption: “Prime product placement”. Nelson replied, “Primebar. Maybe I should bill them?”
Shortly after, the official Prime Twitter announced that Nelson would be receiving a $5,000 bonus for the ‘Primebar’ finish, as an added incentive.
$5k to @GunniNelson for submission on the PRIME bottle!
This is a first for Prime, as bonuses are not on the cards for UFC athletes as a part of their seven-figure sponsorship with the promotion.
Instead, Prime opts to use a compensation model which involves providing athletes with products and merchandise if they visit the UFC Performance Insitute, or were a part of ‘Dana White’s Contender Series’ or ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
Paul has not shown any further interest in incentivising fighters to finish fights in the same fashion.
History & Controversies Surrounding UFC Sponsorships
The UFC has a long history of sponsorships, with brands such as Reebok, Harley Davidson, and Bud Light having sponsored the organization in the past. However, the UFC’s sponsorship model has been criticized by fighters who feel that they are not being fairly compensated for the use of their likeness.
In 2015, the UFC signed an exclusive six-year deal with Reebok to become the organization’s exclusive uniform provider. This deal replaced individual sponsorships for fighters, which allowed them to wear their own sponsors’ logos on their shorts and walkout shirts. While the deal was lucrative for the UFC, fighters were left with a much smaller pool of potential sponsors to earn money.
GettyThe Reebok UFC Deal
The Reebok UFC sponsorship — which was worth $ 70 million over 6 years — replaced individual fighter sponsorships and implemented a tiered sponsorship system that rewarded time spent in the UFC.
The following rates were paid on top of the athlete’s contractual compensation:
Fighters who have had between one and five fights in the UFC would make $2,500 per fight. Fighters with six to 10 UFC bouts would make $5,000 per fight. 11-15 bouts earned fighters $10,000 per fight. 16-20 bouts earned $15,000, and 21 fights and over earned $20,000. Title challengers made $30,000 and champions were paid $40,000.
It’s worth noting that Reebok was replaced with Venum in late 2022, and all payments were bumped, varying from $500 to $2,000 increased per tier.
Despite the controversies surrounding UFC sponsorships, they continue to be a crucial revenue stream for the organization. In recent years, the UFC has signed deals with companies like Venum, Crypto.com, and Monster Energy, among others. These sponsorships not only help the UFC financially, but they also provide fighters with exposure and the opportunity to earn additional income.
As the UFC continues to grow and expand, it’s likely that sponsorships and compensation for fighters will remain hotly debated topics. While the recent increase in payments for the Venum deal is a step in the right direction, some fighters argue that they should have more say in the sponsorships they’re associated with and that they should be compensated more fairly for their performances in the octagon.