Rafael do Anjos was recently slapped with a huge fine for failing to follow the UFC outfitting policy. He is the third fighter to be penalized for such violation.
“Rafael dos Anjos told me he was fined $10K for wearing the Evolve shirt at weigh-ins,” David St. Martin of MMA Fighting tweeted.
The lightweight champion wore an Evolve MMA shirt during the December 2015 weigh-in for his Dec. 19 title defense against Donald Cerrone in Orlando, Florida, as shown on UFC on Fox 17. UFC currently has a deal with Reebok, which require all fighters to only wear their licensed gear at company events, including weigh-ins and actual matches. Dos Anjos was found to have violated the outfitting policy, resulting to his significant fine. As a champion, earned $40,000 from the Reebok deal, while Cerron raked in $30,000 as the challenger, Bloody Elbow revealed.
UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski stated that they issue a warning when an athlete fails to comply but agrees and exercises steps to fix the infraction. They reportedly provide enough opportunity for the fighter to fix his mistake, and that the equipment department and athlete relations teams are always onsite during events to help athletes follow the policy. They reduce the fighters’ pay if they intentionally violate the rule after being warned to correct it, MMA Junkie cited.
Bleczinksi did not provide specific details regarding the infractions but mentioned that it is a primary concern if fighters fail to properly use the Reebok Fight Kit during fight week.
Apparently, dos Anjos was fully aware of his actions and understood the potential consequences. Some fans speculated that Evolve MMA asked him to wear it and would cover any fines charged later on. He trains part-time at the Evolve MMA camp in Singapore and has been linked with brand owner ChatriSityodtong since 2009.
Previously, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz were also fined for violating the outfitting policy. Cerrone added a patch of the American flaginside his fight shorts, and was reportedly fined over $5,000. Diaz also failed to wear the proper attire during weigh-ins. Diaz was seen walking around in his favorite pair of dungarees, MMA Mania wrote. 12 other UFC fighters were cautioned about possibly breaching the said policy and facing huge fines.
Dos Anjos is set to face Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 197. More updates and details on Dos Anjos and UFC’s outfitting policy are expected to surface soon.