Reebok®s Michael Lunardelli shines a little lite on sponsor pay
source | MMAFighting.com
Reebok senior director of combat training Michael Lunardelli is no stranger to the criticism his company has received, but in Schaub’s case, Lunardelli believes the big man’s frustration is misdirected.
“We’ve talked about this before, you can’t make everybody happy,” Lunardelli said during an in-studio appearance Monday on The MMA Hour. “Some people are going to criticize the deal. They may feel that they lost some sponsorships as part of this apparel deal. The way we look at it is, we’re not deciding where the money goes. We’re investing into all these different things that relate to MMA and the sport, so we’ve put a lot of money into the UFC deal, we’ve put a lot of money into fighters, we’ve put a lot of money into gyms and trainers and coaches, things like that. But then there comes a decision point, and the UFC decides how the fighters are paid. That’s not something we get involved in at all.
“So I can understand that he’s looking at us and blaming us because it’s a Reebok apparel deal. It’s a little misplaced from my standpoint. But at the same time, we have to do what we have to do, and that’s focus on making great gear, supporting fighters, getting fighters to showcase as the face of our brand. If we do those things really well, then things will come around.”