Show Money, Ep. 4: The Reebok deal, fighter unions and employee status

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Don’t worry everyone. The real John Nash is still alive and kicking and he’s joined by the rest of the Show Money crew in a special episode “exclusively” devoted to Reebok’s exclusive uniform deal with the UFC. What do the numbers look like? What in the world does “the Reebok deal is not all in cash…it’s product, too” mean? Will more fighters test the market when they become restricted free agents? Will this be the spark for a fighters’ union? Does being forced to wear a uniform make UFC fighters employees?

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About the author

Paul Gift

Dr. Paul Gift is a sports economist with a research focus on mixed martial arts. A licensed MMA referee and judge himself, Dr. Gift’s interests pertain to many facets of the MMA industry including behavioral biases and judging, the role of financial and environmental factors on fighter performance, determination of fighter marginal products, and predictive analytics.

A regular MMA business contributor for Forbes, Dr. Gift also writes about MMA analytics and officiating in popular press for SB Nation and co-hosts the MMA business podcast Show Money. His sports research has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, ESPN’s Grantland, and popular media including Around the Horn, Olbermann, and various MMA and boxing podcasts.