Back in November while on Theo Von’s podcast, UFC Gym CEO, Dana White, announced he’d be throwing Peloton equipment in the garbage. Now, it seems UFC Gyms may be replacing Pelotons with its rival competitor, Echelon. Head below for more details.
Peloton asks Von to pull RFK Jr. episode
On November 14, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Gym CEO Dana White was a guest on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, This Past Weekend. During the interview, Vonn was discussing with White the interview he recently had with Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ruffled the feathers of critics and opponents, to be sure, during his current presidential campaign, by rallying against vaccines and asserting that the climate crisis is being used as a means to control society. Kennedy has also claimed that he doesn’t know what happened on 9/11, that COVID-19 targeted both white and Black populations (while sparing Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese), that his uncle (John F. Kennedy) died at the hands of the CIA, and that mass shootings are linked to prescription drugs.
When Vonn hosted White on the November 14 episode of his podcast, the story he relayed to White was that some of his show’s sponsors were demanding that the Kennedy episode of This Past Weekend be removed, likely for what those sponsors considered to be Kennedy’s various problematic views and positions. White asked which sponsors demanded the episode be taken down, and Von named Peloton.
Being a leader of the connected at-home fitness space, and likely responsible for the popularity of many other connected fitness brands, UFC gyms had outfitted their training centers with Pelotons as a part of the equipment offered to members. Upon learning that Peloton had asked Von to remove the Kennedy episode, White vowed to get rid of Pelotons in UFC gyms. “This is America,” he said. “You can f*cking have whoever you want on your podcast. You can do whatever the f*ck you want to do.” White continued:
We’re going to go throw them in the f*cking garbage today. We’re throwing the Pelotons in the garbage. We’re throwing them out of the UFC gym.
Not only did White make good on his promise, but he is now seemingly replacing Peloton equipment with its biggest rival, Echelon.
Echelon replaces Peloton in UFC gyms
Like Peloton, Echelon offers connected at-home fitness equipment including bikes, treadmills, stair climbers, rowers, and more. The two brands are equally priced, but Peloton remains far more popular and well-known.
Now, Echelon is running ads featuring Dana White (note the Theo Von tag in the bottom left corner):
Does this mean all 150 UFC gym locations will now house Echelon equipment in place of Peloton? If so, this is a huge W for Echelon.
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