Signing with Nike is a huge deal if you’re from America.
Ever since Michael Jordan first signed a multi-million pound deal with the Oregon-based clothing giants to produce his own range of Air Jordan trainers and branded clothing, it’s become the main goal of top sporting professionals, both in the US and abroad, to emulate that kind of agreement.
As Nike have grown and grown, their catalogue of top athletes signed to exclusive Nike sponsorship deals has sky-rocketed, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Lebron James, Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant topping the lengthy list.
While getting recognition from a company such as Nike when you’re competing in mainstream sports such as football, basketball or golf is no easy feat. So, getting recognition from a company such as Nike when you compete in a niche sport such as MMA is a huge achievement. And that’s exactly what Jon Jones has managed.
After blitzing through competition in his early 20s, Jones earned himself a title shot which he won impressively. Since then, he’s gone on to defend his title three times and earn the reputation of being one of the greatest MMA fighters of his time, despite only being 25 years of age.
In case you’re unaware of Jones, and want an idea of why Nike have chosen him as their first MMA representative, here’s a highlight reel of his short, but decorated, career so far...
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