The UFC's road to the mainstream is littered with the bodies of banned sponsors. There was a time when the most lucrative sponsor that superstar Tito Ortiz could find was Spanky's XXX Playhouse.
Adult website sponsors were probably the first banned. Then gambling sites, something Ricco Rodriguez got around, once, with a fake tattoo. Then condom retailers. All MMA events were banned. Companies that sponsored rival promotions were banned. All sponsors were banned unless they paid an upfront fee to the UFC. Companies were banned that competed directly with UFC sponsors, like GOOD4U energy drinks, which competes with Xenergy. And so on.
A complete gallery of banned sponsors appears below.
Each ban has generated fan outrage. However, mainstream sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, PGA do not permit athletes to cover their uniforms with sponsor patches at all. So the practice of allowing sponsor patches and banners while limiting the sponsors, does not seem unreasonable.
This time the ban appears to stem from FOX.
Yes, this list is a parody.
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