Throughout the history of MMA, several fighters have worn MMA shorts that have become iconic such as Mirko Cro Cop, Chuck Liddell, and our namesake BJ Penn to name just a few.

With the UFC’s new apparel deal with Reebok, fighters now all wear uniforms, which takes away a fighters ability to be an individual according to Rizin FF CEO, and former PRIDE FC CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara.

He spoke through a translator to MMAfighting:

“We feel like we need to respect each individual. Each athlete’s character and personality matter more.”

“The UFC doesn’t respect the individual,” Sakakibara said. “The fighters all look the same in their costumes now. In order to stand out, you need to become unique and get all tatted up like Conor McGregor or speak up, those are the things you can do to stand out.”