Chris Weidman signs Reebok endorsement deal, lands line of signature shoes

Chris Weidman asked the MMA world to "join the team" after he beat Vitor Belfort, and Reebok has obliged.

Weidman is the latest fighter to ink an endorsement deal with the UFC's exclusive uniform partner, announcing the signing during an in-studio appearance Monday on The MMA Hour.

Reebok's deal with the reigning UFC middleweight champion includes a line of ‘Join the Team' t-shirts and a signature line of stars-and-stripes shoes.

"It's just an honor to be part of an apparel brand like Reebok," Weidman said.

"I never even imagined having my own shoe. There's no words to explain, it's amazing. Ridiculous. I'm never taking these things off. I'll be everywhere with these."

Weidman joins the likes of Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and fellow UFC middleweight Ronaldo Souza, among several others, as fighters to score a Reebok deal separate from the standard UFC uniform clause.

Senior director of Reebok combat training Michael Lunardelli said signing Weidman was always a top priority for the company, but Reebok was unable to move until Weidman's deal with previous sponsor Bad Boy expired.

"We literally wrote down our roster that we wanted, our top roster, on the first day we came into this thing, and he was at the top of the list," Lunardelli said.

"We had Ronda on there, we had Conor on there, we had Anthony (Pettis), we had all those guys. He was on the list, but he had another deal, so we had to wait. We had to wait for the deal to end, and we've been patiently waiting for this [day]."

Weidman (13-0) has reigned over the UFC middleweight division since dethroning the man many believe to be the greatest 185-pound fighter ever, Anderson Silva, with a second-round knockout in 2013.

Weidman has since defended the title three times, defeating Silva in a rematch that saw the Brazilian break his leg due to a checked kick, then besting Lyoto Machida and Belfort.

Weidman's victory over Belfort came in May at UFC 187, and afterward the 31-year-old New Yorker delivered his now trademark line, asking MMA fans to stop doubting him and "join the team."

Weidman will debut his Reebok sponsorship on Dec. 12 at UFC 194, when he takes on former Strikeforce challenger Luke Rockhold. That fight serves as the co-main event to the blockbuster meeting between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.