What's new at Ludus Martial Arts

We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.

Report: Rebook issues statement against Colby Covington’s Black Lives Matter comments

Reebok, the UFC’s official apparel sponsor, has taken the rare step of publicly disavowing the words of a Rebook-attired UFC athlete.

The Massachusetts-based company issued a statement Wednesday to Bloody Elbow distancing itself from statements made by UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington, who had several controversial comments regarding the Black Lives Matter movement last week, in the lead-up to and aftermath of his UFC on ESPN+ 36 main event victory over Tyron Woodley.

In the post-fight news conference, Covington referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as, among other things, “a complete sham” and “terrorists.”

“The Black Lives Matter is a complete sham,” Covington said. “It’s a joke. They’re taking these people that are complete terrorists. They’re taking these people that that are criminals. These aren’t people that are hardworking Americans, blue-collar Americans. These are bad people. They’re criminals.

“They shouldn’t be attacking police. If you’re breaking the law and you’re threatening the cops with weapons, you deserve to get what you get. Law enforcement protects us all. If we don’t have law enforcement, it’d be the wild wild west.”

In a statement to Bloody Elbow, Reebok clarified it does not have a separate sponsorship for Covington, as it does with several top fighters, and says they do not agree with his comments.

“Reebok is the uniform provider for the UFC, however we do not sponsor Colby Covington,” the statement read. “We do not agree with the sentiments he expressed, and stand firm in our belief that Black lives matter. We stand with athletes and communities who are fighting for change.”

Reebok has been the UFC’s official apparel sponsor since 2015. While several UFC athletes have made controversial comments over the years that have been perceived by many as misogynistic, homophobic or transphobic, the company does not have a track record of publicly denouncing athlete speech.

Earlier this year, the company ended its role as title sponsor of the Crossfit Games after Crossfit founder Greg Glassman made a series of racist public comments.

Reebok’s deal as UFC apparel sponsor runs through the end of next March, after which Venum becomes the official sponsor.

Matt Brown explains how UFC 300 snub finalized retirement decision, says BKFC signing ‘not out of the question’

Matt Brown thought he would get a dream retirement scenario to end his MMA career. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. Brown announced Saturday that he was hanging up his UFC gloves after a 28-fight stint with the promotion in which he went 15-13 and racked up a number...

Nursulton Ruziboev says welterweight easy cut for UFC on ESPN 56, still wants middleweight fights

Just like he did throughout his career, Nursulton Ruziboev hopes he can bounce around weight classes in the UFC. Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) drops back down to welterweight to face Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 56 (ESPN/ESPN+) co-headliner at Enterprise Center in...

come and try a ludus mma class free!

We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.

With your FREE PASS, you can:

  • Try as many classes as you’d like,
  • Explore the facility
  • Talk to our coaches one-on-one about what you can expect as a member

© Copyright 2024 - Ludus Martial Arts - 730 Beach Blvd, Unit 105, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.

(904) 374-4186 / ludusmartialarts@gmail.com