Unique custom fight shorts are the new wave in UFC this year, and it delivered! There’s no exclusive rule stopping an athlete from being a pinnacle of flashy finishers and looking cool while doing it. The Venum Sports custom kit, part of their outfitting policy, made sure of it in 2024.
The fight-wear this year just put a grand scheme on the 2024 promotional festivities. It even helped promotional CEO Dana White and Co. with event branding in the annual Noche UFC PPV card. The event broke a gate income record with a whopping $21,829,245+ output and the outfit design resonated with the surrounding marvel.
However, some fight-wear and custom shorts are just better than others. The UFC boss and Co. would be amiss not to capture that particular magic with a zeal beyond what was 2024. Here is a look at the top 5.
5. Sean O’Malley – UFC 299
In 2020, Bryce Mitchell was the first to break through with a custom Reebok camouflage fight kit that looked cool. But with the switch-up to Venum Sports 4 years later, the floodgates really opened up. Ten more prominent stars would get their pair of custom shorts, starting with Sean O’Malley.
The pink UFC custom shorts came out pretty hard (Source: IG/rpctv.com)One of the brightest stars to emerge from the sport this year, O’Malley, donned bright pink, gold-trimmed shorts. He fought Marlon “Chito” Vera in the main event of the UFC 299 PPV. The bold design perfectly mirrored his dominant win and Best Fighter ESPY performance, laced up with a neo-culture style statement.
If sweet as “Suga” but not as nice with all the thunderous kicks was a person, it’d be wearing those shorts. However, he didn’t wear it for his UFC 306 fight at the Las Vegas Sphere. Was this the reason why he lost a lopsided decision to Merab Dvalishvili? We might find out next year when he dons the same shorts again.
4. Alex Pereira – UFC 300, UFC 303, UFC 307
Alex “Poatan” Pereira always relied on Brazilian headgear and war paints to showcase his Indigenous Pataxó culture from Bahia, Brazil. He still does at the ceremonial weigh-ins and staredowns. But this was a first-ever pair of custom shorts that really brought the tribal Pataxó side of him alive.
A nod to home in these custom kits saw three huge knockouts in 2024 (Source: si.com/IMAGO)Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers for Venum’s multi-year deal, the promotion has a sweet thing going. Roster fighters, like him, get perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any brand merchandise and imagery sold in a fighter’s liking, along with experience pay.
Pereira, in his iconic Brazilian yellow Venum shorts, has sold copies of images, sticker art, covers, and even funko pops like no other. But this time it was different. The tribal design includes traditional patterns and colors rooted in rich tribal history. The design makes it a strong representation of Pereira’s early journey. On the same stem though, some thought Charles Oliveira’s shorts were a big miss.
3. Leon Edwards, Paddy Pimblett – UFC 304
Next was Leon Edwards. “Rocky” was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but raised in Birmingham, England; his green Venum custom shorts were a representation of both. Paddy Pimblett’s orange colorway comes from Kazushi Sakuraba’s iconic short design. “The Gracie Hunter” fought 43 times and had wins over Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ryan Gracie, and Royce Gracie.
UFC Unrivalled Vale Tudo fight shorts for the English were a good thing (Source: UFC (@ufc) / X/ agfight)For Pimblett – it was also habitual from his Cage Warriors tenure where he’d come out in his orange shorts. So, these pair of top UK pay-per-view draws got what represented them and where they came from the best. The Co-Op Live setting came to live at a sleepy Manchester at UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+) when the duo entered with these kits.
2. Boxer’s boxers – Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway – UFC 300/302/308
Best boxer Dustin Poirier and ‘iron chin’ Hawaiian Max Holloway had some of the best UFC custom shorts and fight kits for 2024. Holloway’s floral short design was two years in the making. Ahead of his trilogy fight with Aussie legend Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway wanted a custom short.
It didn’t come right away. Eventually, the UFC eventually gave in and provided a red, white, and blue floral design honoring the state flag of Hawaii. It was also quite the kit going in for the “BMF” title at 155 pounds on the UFC 300 main card.
The boxers got their own custom boxers in 2024 (Source: IG/heavy.com)This short design is a nod to Poirier’s signature floral shirt style, which he regularly dons on his socials. Within the floral design are blue diamonds – a nod to Poirier’s nickname ‘Diamond.’ When the winning eBay bidder failed to pay for the fight kit, former peer Khabib Nurmagomedov bought it for $30,000.
Poirier initially wanted to hold on to the kit for what he thought was his last dance. Ultimately, it went to his ‘The Good Fight Foundation‘ that provides to the Lafayette Parish school system. This year’s “Back to School” event took place in early August, where the charity provided for three backpacks per vehicle. Subsequently, this was a true representation of what these two fighters are at their core.
1. Rivalry unrivaled – Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya – UFC 305
The brass continued in the same vein for the next numbered card. Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. The rainbow colors of the South African flag on DDP’s shorts were a big indication of his home nation. Adesanya wore a different take on the black and gold that showcased his love for anime cultures and electric fighting style.
A UFC rivalry made it to the biggest stage with the colors to match (Source: Instagram-threads.net › @ufc/nybreaking.com)With the duo squabbling on the racial front and the spot for the ‘True African’ king, this was quite a rivalry in all of 2024. The colors to go with it just added to unrivaled design. A champ donning the colors of where he came from and former champ out to prove him wrong and wearing his worth in weight in the former champ-thematic colors. This was one to go to.
Honorable mentions
Though none of them were particular standouts on their own, the UFC 306 PPV custom shorts were one for ages. GOAT Jon Jones also wore his first Venum-era custom shorts for his UFC 265-pound defense of the gold at UFC 309.
Other UFC shorts and custom kits also ticked the boxes in 2024 (Source: X/apnews.com)The black shorts feature two red roaring lion heads with gold lettering for Jones’ name, UFC and Venum logos, and the champ’s chest tattoo of Philippians 4:13. “Bones” was quite happy on it as it was also a good nod to his Reebok-era red shorts.
During UFC Fight Night 246 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno wore custom Mexican-themed shorts that were quite the hit. Inspired by her native China, Zhang Weili and her kit featured dragons and traditional Chinese markings in the background. It was also quite a thing for the milestone UFC 300 PPV.
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