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NEWCASTLE, UK - JANUARY 19: Fabricio Werdum (tight shorts) def. Gabriel Gonzaga (board shorts) - TKO - 4:34 round 2 during the UFC 80 at Metro Radio Arena on January 19, 2008 in Newcastle,United Kingdom. (Photo by: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Mixed martial arts (MMA) sponsors are back … kind of.
At least for this weekend’s MVP MMA 1: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event, which goes down this weekend (Sat., May 16, 2026), inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
For longtime MMA fans, sponsor-covered shorts were once a staple of the sport. Companies like Bad Boy, Affliction, Hayabusa, Dynamic Fastener, and countless others (like Condom Depot) helped fighters make extra money — and in many cases, the sponsorship cash exceeded the actual fight purse.
That’s why fighters were furious when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) introduced its exclusive uniform deal with Reebok in 2015, later transitioning to Venom, eliminating nearly all independent sponsorships during fight week.
To put it in perspective, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub claimed he earned six figures from sponsors while making just $30,000 to show and win.
Now, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian says his promotion is taking a different approach.
“When we started MVP, Jake [Paul] and I definitely talked about the possibility of it,” Bidarian explained. “We both clearly aligned on that we want fighters to have their own individuality and the opportunity to make extra money where they can because we’re not in a position yet like the UFC to meaningfully provide the athlete outfitting policy.”
Bidarian confirmed fighters at MVP MMA 1 will be allowed to display sponsors on walkout gear, fight shorts, and fight tops.
“When you look at what we’ve done with Netflix — we’ve maintained the balance of athletes in the boxing events and now with this MMA event, they will have sponsors on their walkout gear, fight shorts, on their fight top — if they wear one,” Bidarian said. “There are obviously categories that you can’t have sponsors from, and there are specific ones that may not get approved because they are illegal or not regulated, but overall it is a great opportunity for the fighters.”
Ironically, Bidarian admitted he was heavily involved in helping implement the UFC’s original uniform policy years ago — a move designed to clean up the sport and help secure mainstream broadcast partnerships like ESPN.
He also confirmed that MVP MMA fighters will earn a minimum payout of $40,000, which the promotion plans to maintain moving forward if it expands deeper into MMA.
So yes … there’s at least a tiny chance Condom Depot makes a comeback.
For much more on “Rousey vs. Carano” checkout our comprehensive archive right here.
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