One opportunity is all that’s needed to alter a fighter’s career for good. Essentially, at the beginning, a fighter must have an alternative source of income to cover all the expenses for themselves and their family. It’s not easy juggling training cost and personal expenses at the same time.
Francis Ngannou
Few well-known fighters started literally at nothing, an example of this is Francis Ngannou, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Ngannou illegally crossed the border to Spain where he was detained for 2 months. After he was released, he went to Paris knowing no one, broke, and homeless. He found a gym that would train him for free and the rest you can say is history. He is now a champion, millionaire and is paying it forward to his hometown in Cameroon where he built a gym for the children of his town to train in.
MMA Sponsorships for Gear:
In recent years, we saw a massive increase in the variety of sponsors for combat sports. Most notably, companies who offer combat gear such as mma gloves, mma gear, and mma shorts are one of the biggest supporters of these events.
Gegard Mousasi
A perfect example is Gegard Mousasi’s shorts, which he wore during his fight at Bellator MMA 275 event. This MMA shorts was specially made for Mousasi by XMartial, a top martial arts gear company based in Canada. You can check their complete shorts collection here.
Sponsors and Benefits
Sponsors nowadays are not limited to combat gears alone, companies who offer products such as energy drinks, supplements, and even NFTs are investing sizable amounts to well-known champions in different belt divisions.
Aside from the financial benefits, these companies are giving the fighters time to focus on their careers and hone their skills. The fighters can travel without financial constraints and capability to hire people such as doctors, nutritionists and coaches to further improve their physical and mental status. It’s always exciting to see fighters at their peak and fighting at their best!
Conclusion
Some of these elite fighters went through the toughest nails of life, that is why it’s great to see the rise of sponsorship in combat sports because they deserve all the help that they can get. It’s not surprising to see the growing number of fans all over the world, people can literally relate to what these fighters have gone through and would want to support their journey as well.
Thanks to these promotions such as UFC, Pride, and Bellator, these fighters are able to showcase their skills in the art of fighting and much more to the sponsors who have the capacity to support them. We all love a rags to riches story!
