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Like every other industry, the global pandemic is heavily affecting the sponsorship market in sports and athletics.
While preparing for a scheduled title fight at UFC 250 against Henry Cejudo for the Bantamweight belt, former Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo opened up about the impact of the situation on fighters while speaking to MMA Fighting.
Jose Aldo: All athletes lost sponsors
Aldo said that the deadly pandemic has gravely affected the sponsorship scene. Every athlete has lost sponsorship and it is impacting their daily earning.
"Everybody’s defending (a lockdown), and I can guarantee you all athletes lost sponsors. Everyone. Everyone’s losing sponsors. How will they support themselves? Will they go out in the streets to rob people? What are they going to do? There are no gyms, they are all closed. You can’t teach private classes. How will they support themselves?"
Aldo's own gym, Nova Uniao has been closed down as well in the wake of the pandemic. The Brazilian is currently quarantined at home as the virus took over his country, leaving thousands affected and hundreds dead.
But Aldo understands the side of the companies as well. Their businesses have taken a hit due to the worldwide lockdown and it is getting hard for them to even keep up with their regular expenditures unless they are a big company.
"I understand the businessmen’s side too. It’s not only the athlete’s side, ‘Oh, I have a contract.’ But how? Outside of a big company like Coca-Cola — that no athlete is sponsored by —, all companies are going bankrupt. All factories are stopping, the market is stopping. How are they supposed to keep an athlete if he can’t even pay an employee? That’s normal. That affects me and affects every other athlete. That’s normal and that will happen. I understand their side as well."
Aldo has advice for the UFC fighters
Aldo is disapproving of the idea of picking and choosing fights, because the future is never guaranteed. According to him, one can be a Champion fighting whoever in the division, as long as they have it in them.
"That’s something I always told everybody in the gym and my friends, to never choose fights. Doesn’t matter if it’s the No. 1 or the last in the ranking, you have to fight because you never know about tomorrow. If you’re a champion, you’ll be a champion by fighting the first or the last in the ranking."
The veteran fighter has an experience of nearly a decade, having fought 15 times for UFC - 11 of them Championship bouts. So he knows it inside out how important it is to not bicker over rankings and reputations, and simply take the fight that is there. Given the current situation, his advice surely sounds very wise and useful.
"The more you fight, the more you’re in the spotlight and everything increases, instead of this bullsh*t that went on recently, ‘Oh, I’ll only fight if you’re ranked, I won’t fight if you’re not ranked.’ And now they are out there all f*****, pardon the expression, desperate to fight no matter who because they will be in need. That’s how I think."
