Shortly after his first win in almost five years, Dominick Cruz surprisingly used his time in the spotlight at UFC 259 for a seemingly random call about his sponsorship rep. He put Hans Molenkamp into action and called for a charity fight, claiming that Monster Energy’s business development representative was using his position for personal gain.
Monster was a top sponsor of the UFC, and also had separate deals with many other prominent fighters, like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. The former bantamweight champion claimed that Molenkamp forces fighters to give him “influence” by posing for photos and continuing to comment and enjoy posts on his personal social media accounts.
“He’s probably going to love being connected like that, to be honest, so it’s really a benefit to him, so he should thank me,” said Cruz. “It’s just that we’re at a time when you can … if I take a picture with Conor McGregor like that, I’m now friends with Conor McGregor, right? If I take a picture with Dominick Cruz and he comments on my page, we will be in a time when it seems like we are friends. Well, I can be your friend, but you can’t use me for influence, as they say. I’m not here to be used.
“Look at my face, look at my body, I am beaten to death for a living. So, when you try to force me and send me a message if I don’t comment on your page, if I don’t give you an interview, will you keep what you pay my bills for? What are we doing? Monster sponsors me, not you. “
Cruz noted how Monster Energy had previously “ignored” other people’s complaints. Now that he has addressed the matter at a larger, public stage, the company has already issued a response.
“We take these allegations seriously and are currently investigating,” a Monster spokesman told MMA Fighting. The report also stated how Molenkamp’s long-term phone number was disconnected on Monday.
In his post-fight scrum, Cruz also mentioned Dana White’s previous complaint about Molenkamp. The exchange he was alluding to took place in 2019, when the Monster Energy representative stated that he was the reason White “became the best friend” of professional skater Rob Dyrdek. This was White’s response to Molenkamp on Instagram (HT: BJPenn.com):
The biggest pile of shit ever. When I see all of your posts do I think this guy is joking now or is he serious? I met you through Tiki, when Tiki asked me to take a picture with the shirt he asked me to wear. I assume you met most of the fighters through Tiki. You walk up to people and someone is secretly taking pictures and posting pictures as if you are at a meeting and posting tacky shit like ‘flying high with eagles’. I usually just laugh and say: is he serious now ?? I don’t know exactly what you do for @monsterenergy, but it seems like you decide which fighter gets sponsorship and which doesn’t, so I’m sure that’s why they let you post the crazy shit like you trying to train with them and others stupid shit. I didn’t become Rob’s ‘best friend’ through you and you are far from the guy who ‘influences influencers’ to stop blowing smoke in everyone’s ass! #real conversation
White also addressed the issue at the UFC 259 post-fight press conference, admitting that it is a Monster Energy affair and saying it is a “privilege” to get sponsorship money from them.
“It’s all weird. Hans is a goofy guy? Yes, he is a very silly guy, ”said White. “But they are sponsors. These guys are sponsors, they are great sponsors, they pay a lot of money to these guys. Monster is one of those companies that really takes care of people and is their company. They can sponsor anyone they want, they can run their business however they want. “
Molenkamp currently has more than 221,000 followers on Instragram.