Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum debuts UFC-inspired Under Armour shoes

On June 29, Kelsey Plum and his Las Vegas Aces earned an 88-77 victory over the Washington Mystics, improving their regular season record to 10-6 so far. Also on the 29th, the UFC took over its usual Las Vegas home with its annual summer showcase, International Fight Week.

UFC 303 PPV from T-Mobile Arena capped off the week of festivities. It was originally scheduled to be the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler. Injuries plagued the card, eventually leading to an impromptu light heavyweight title rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. More changes were made on the day of the event when Brian Ortega, who was also scheduled to compete in the main event, was forced out of his fight against Diego Lopes due to illness. For the first time in UFC history, a fighter (not on the original card) stepped up just hours after the fight, as Dan Ige took on Lopes in a last-minute collision at 165 catchweight.

In addition to being one of the WNBA’s elite veterans, Kelsey Plum is also an MMA expert, maintaining a close friendship with UFC President and General Manager Dana White. Additionally, her fame in the WNBA has earned her some pretty lucrative sponsorship deals, including a deal with Nike in 2017 after she entered the WNBA overall rankings. In 2022, however, Plum would take his talents to the Under Armor brand, joining a roster that includes NBA superstars Steph Curry and Joel Embiid.

The UFC also has a special deal with Under Armour as their Project Rock collection (by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is the official sneaker and slide provided to fighters and their cornermen.

Plum will reportedly wear a special edition PE (Player-exclusive) UA Breakthru 5 in a red and black pattern reminiscent of the iconic UFC colors. The soles feature Under Armour’s Flow technology, which differs from traditional rubber outsoles for a lightweight alternative that still performs, while maintaining grip, stability and durability.

On the heel of these UFC-themed UA Breakthru 5s is a cage motif in a nod to the octagonal structure where UFC fighters fight, as well as the UFC logo on the heel tab. To make things more UFC-compliant, Plum explained the materials used to make the sneakers: “It’s like leather for real gloves and stuff.”

As talented as Kelsey Plum is, don’t expect her to be a multi-sport dynamo, as she reiterated in an Instagram video post shared by Under Armour Basketball: “…I’ll never be in the cage. I promise you that.”