UFC heavyweight contender Chris Daukaus is the most recent athlete to provide a rather negative review of the UFC’s shoe collaboration with The Rock.
The Project Rock x UFC BSR 2 and Project Rock Slides were the first co-branded shoes ever released by the Project Rock brand. Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson partnered with Under Armour to craft a sponsorship deal through which UFC benefits while the athletes get nothing.
The athletes competing at UFC Paris were the first to wear the new shoes as part of the agreement. UFC tried to prominently feature them on the PPV but despite that most publicity came from the incident in which Nate Diaz went rogue in an interview and exclaimed that they’re horrible.
While the clip wasn’t included in an interview with Megan Olivi, Diaz posted it on his own snapchat.
However, despite the fact that the shoes feature the slogan “for those who walk the walk,” it seems that many UFC athletes would prefer to walk in anything other than Project Rock gear.
Chris Daukaus spoke on The AllStar’s UFC Vegas 60 recap program about the new arrangement.
“Dude, they f*cking suck. They f*cking suck,” Daukaus said. “They’re f*cking sh*tty-ass shoes, man… They are the f*cking worst. Listen, I’m not a big shoe guy… I’ve got like, sh*tty New Balances — I’m a dad… I’m not a sneaker guy.”
“These sneakers f*cking suck. They really do suck. They’re uncomfortable, super tight, big — they f*cking suck. Talk sh*t about the Reebok deal, (but) the quality of shoe with Reebok, way better in my opinion.”
“I’m just not a fan or Under Armour shoes… They just suck. Sorry Rock. You can find me, I’m in Philadelphia. Come if you wanna say something, your shoes f*cking suck.”
Along with the apparent lack of comfort, Project Rock X UFC has come under fire for not giving the competitors any incentive to actually wear them. Terrance McKinney has spoken out on the issue on social media, urging Johnson to support the athletes.
Daukaus emphasized McKinney’s appeals and said that he had considered sending his own tweet in response.