"True story" - Junior dos Santos says he lost multiple endorsements including Nike because of UFC's Reebok deal

Junior dos Santos [Image Credit: @juniorcigano via Instagram]

Junior dos Santos recently took to Twitter to reply to a series of tweets addressing his loss of multiple endorsements.

The legendary Brazilian responded by saying "true story" to Dr. Ana Claudia Guedes' post below:

"Note the incredible @nike custom boxing shoes that he FINALLY got to wear in a ring. True story: when @ufc signed its @reebok deal (the company that didn't take time to learn about MMA, who made shirts screwing up the name of champions/all time greats)...@junior_cigano lost MANY endorsements - including Nike. A lot of years of work washed away and a lot of the athletes' financial means pulled out from under them. Anyhow, @nike was always incredible to work with - "an athlete first always" company. Glad Junior got to represent."

1/2 Note the incredible @nike custom boxing shoes that he FINALLY got to wear in a ring. True story: when @ufc signed its @reebok deal (the company that didn’t take time to learn about MMA, who made shirts screwing up the names of champions/all time greats) https://t.co/UZ5UYNNYv3

True story twitter.com/guedesgroup/st…

UFC 260 marked the end of an era. It was the last event held under the Reebok uniform deal. The deal between Reebok and UFC was signed in late 2014 and started in Q2 of 2015.

The six-year deal was originally reported to be worth $70 million. The Reebok deal marked the end of UFC fighters bringing their own sponsorships to the octagon.

UFC announced this morning that Venum will be the UFC’s new exclusive global outfitting and apparel partner starting in 2021.

The Reebok uniform deal comes to an end in March 2021 and Venum will take over in April. Reebok will remain the footwear sponsor until the end of 2021.

However, according to the Reebok deal, UFC fighters were paid a compliance fee based on their tenure system. For many, these payments were a drastic reduction from what they had been making from their own sponsors.

The premier MMA promotion has now signed with Venum for their official uniforms and apparel.

Junior dos Santos' combat sports legacy

Junior dos Santos went through a hard road to a UFC championship. Santos defeated five former champions consecutively to earn a title shot.

'Cigano' knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round to claim the UFC heavyweight title on the promotion's first-ever show on FOX. The Brazilian then successfully defended his title against Frank Mir at UFC 146. He dropped the title to Velasquez a year later.

The Brazilian was released by the UFC earlier this year after he was knocked out in his last four fights.

Santos had been one of the top heavyweight contenders in the promotion. His record boasts wins against opponents such as Mark Hunt, Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis and Ben Rothwell.

Junior dos Santos made his pro-wrestling debut for AEW Rampage earlier this Friday. It'll be interesting to see if he achieves the same level of success in AEW as he did in UFC.

Video: Junior dos Santos gets slammed through table in pro wrestling debut for AEW

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