Maggie Hendericks at Cagewriter is reporting that Hoelzer Reich will no longer be welcome in the UFC or WEC:

World Extreme Cagefighting general manager Reed Harris told Cagewriter that Zuffa fighters will no longer be allowed to wear Hoelzer Reich clothing in their fights. (Zuffa owns botht the UFC and WEC.)

Donald Cerrone was probably the highest profile fighter to wear HR garb, but he’s apparently no longer sponsored by the brand. He’s still on their website though and trying to get his picture removed:

WEC 45 headliner Donald Cerrone had been sponsored by Hoelzer Reich, but withdrew from any association with the company months ago. His image remains on their Web site, but Harris said that Cerrone and his manager are taking steps to have his picture removed. Hoelzer Reich has come under fire for using Nazi-esque imagery in their clothing.

Hoelzer Reich tried to clear the air, saying they removed the clothing that had most offended people. But they still didn’t seem to see the problem behind using Nazi-associated imagery:

The imagery that we reference dates back hundreds of years before Nazi Germany, and we did not realize that the brief association some of the imagery had with Nazi Germany over 70 years ago would still be so sensitive to so many people.

It does not matter what the iron cross, SS or any of the other symbols meant before they were used by Nazis, or how brief the association was with Nazi Germany. The evil committed by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich ensured that those symbols will always come to symbolize the worst of humanity.

Hopefully this will put this fiasco to rest. We also hope that Zuffa will do better ‘due diligence’ of their ‘approved’ sponsors in the future.

WEC chief: No Hoelzer Reich at Zuffa @ Cagewriter

UPDATE: Strikeforce has sent the ‘German history enthusiasts’ at Hoelzer Reich packing as well:

“We will not permit our fighters to wear this type of apparel in our cage,” Afromowitz said. “Strikeforce will not tolerate any offensive behavior at any location or at any time by its fighters.”

Hoelzer Reich banned by Zuffa, Strikeforce @ MMA Fanhouse