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Werdum Photoshops Nike logo onto fight kit, puts Reebok on blast

@werdum/Instagram

Fabricio Werdum doesn't care for the UFC's exclusive apparel partner.

The former heavyweight champion posted an image to Instagram Tuesday of himself with the Nike logo Photoshopped onto a Reebok fight kit. UFC athletes are only permitted to wear Reebok clothing on fight night, a situation that clearly has Werdum upset.

According to a translation from Brent Brookhouse and Fernanda Prates of MMAjunkie, Werdum's caption reads "I'm not generic, I'm Nike since I was a kid." The accompanying hashtags essentially say "suck my balls."

On Wednesday, Werdum told MMAjunkie that while the Instagram post was intended as a lark, he is actually in active negotiations with Nike. He estimates that he went from making six-figures with his old sponsors to around $5,000 per fight under the UFC's deal with Reebok.

Werdum's post also served the purpose of letting sponsors know that he is free to wear whatever he wants outside of UFC events.

"I have no exclusivity with Reebok, it's only during the fight and that's it," Werdum said. "Because that's how it goes and we can't do anything about it. But outside of the octagon, that's where things show up the most, at social media, that's where they show the brand, at training. It's nice to clarify that, outside the UFC, I can have the sponsors I want."

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