The United States Muay Thai scene right now is stronger than ever before, quality shows are going one from the west coast to the east coast. The next big step will be when a promotion lands a TV deal in the United States that doesn't relegate them to a 2AM time slot. The newly re-branded Friday Night Fights Muay Thai originally announced a deal with SNY, but after deciding to hold off on airing their "8-to1" tournament this past August they have been very quiet about what is going on with their TV deal. FNFMT President, Justin Blair usually known for being tight lipped with their plans has been especially so since their initial announcement regarding broadcasting the series, so one can only wonder what is going on behind closed doors.
Muay Thai Authority was recently apprised of an exclusive sneak peak of one Friday Night Fights TV pilots and from what we’ve seen, it’s hard to understand why Blair hasn’t already broadcast it. We are not aware of what negotiations are going on behind closed doors, or when the potential air date will be, the only thing we know is that the production is damn good. The fights & production quality are great and the commentary is very solid, all of it in HD mind you. This is the type of production that Muay Thai needs, if that is what Friday Night Fights will be putting out on their first attempt, we can only imagine what their future productions will look like after they hit their stride. If anyone else happens to broadcast before they do, let's hope they bring their A game because Friday Night Fights is definitely not holding back any punches and they are clearly here to play with the big boys.
I used to be a fan of fnf... until they started putting on shit fights to sell tickets to a drunk crowd that wouldnt know muay thai from boxing.
ReplyDeleteWe really have to disagree with those comments. Friday Night Fights has put on some great fights. They have Joseph Valtellini one of the best fighters in North America fighting for them as well.
ReplyDeleteNo other promotion puts on as many events as them and they have had some great fights this year. Lavrushin vs. Romulo, DeLuca vs. Molina, Greskiewicz vs. Hasanov (twice), Case vs. Valtellini, Berrios vs. Balsamico, Berrios vs. Valtellini, Tipping vs. Kwiatkowski. They have a few UFC vets make their pro debuts on Friday Night Fights this year, and guys like Ognjen Topic made their pro debut as well.
Not to mention the "8-to-1" tournament they had this year. That was an amazing tournament. Josh Fitzsimmons, Phil LeGrand, Tory Sheridan are all gonna be good pro's when they decide to make the move.
twat
ReplyDeleteI mean nymuaithai is a twat ....
ReplyDeleteWhile everyone is entitled to their opinion, most fight fans would disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteMost of the top fighters in the region, US & Canada compete on our events on a regular basis. Alex Berrios, Joe Valtellini, Chris Kwiatkowski, Justin Greskiewicz, Chris Romulo, Ben Case, Sean Hinds, Ognjen Topic, Joe Sampieri just to name a few of the professionals. Amateurs include Josh Fitzsimmons, Liam Tarrant, Wayne Barrett, Phil LeGrand and many, many others.
As far as "drunk" fans that "don't know any better"....we have succeeded in creating an exciting event that attracts people from just about every socio-economic demographic in the region - so, while "drunks" might fall under that heading, most of supporters are not. And, while every fan may not be an expert in the finer points of the sport, we'd like to think that by bringing the sport to a larger audience we are helping build a bigger fan base.
As we relate to any other organization producing Muay Thai in the area, none have the history that FNF has (14+ years) nor do any have the track record & reputation that FNF boasts (over 200 events in 5 states, having broadcast on 3 networks).
Our commitment to putting on the best events clearly shows in the consistent support we have been fortunate enough get from fans that enjoy the sport of Muay Thai and know what they are watching.
But don't you agree that more does not always equal better? how many fights do the Lions Fight Promotions put on per year? Also just because UFC vets make their debut on a muay thai card does not necessarily make it a better card, in fact I would say it I would prefer NOT to watch those fights. But then again, I am a purist.
ReplyDelete@ Cheshire Cat - you are correct - bigger is not always better. The only reason that I mention the number of our events is in response to NJmuaythai's comments above. We are able to do as many events as we do because of the quality. If our events were as poor as he suggests, then driving 10-12 events annually would not be possible. A large part of how we do this is through the great number of quality fighters that work with us on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteIt is always the purist' dilemma - that, unforunately, not everyone is an expert in the sport and therefore, may appreciate it at a different level. Regardless though, this doesn't detract from the other points made above.
Regarding Lion Fights - they are doing great things for the sport. While they are new, they have put on some great matches and we hope that they can continue to increase awareness of the sport to a broader audience.
I've fought on 3 FNF events and each one has been great. The production quality is top notch, the atmosphere is great and even though a lot of the fighters are new to the sport, they all come to win.
ReplyDeleteSince I've been sidelined with an injury I've been waiting to get back but it looks like it's going to be awhile longer. Hopefully when I come back from Thailand they will still have room for me to fight and I'll be better than ever!
For fighters and promoters to be able to make a living off of Muay Thai here in America it needs to be brought to a bigger audience. A lot of people don't like changing up Muay Thai and we agree that it shouldn't be changed but we also understand that to reach a bigger audience some things have to be changed. It might not be the most popular thing but it is a necessity.
ReplyDeletePurist exist in every forum, MMA for the longest time had purist you didn't like the direction it was headed and now it is very popular. Fighters can actually support their family etc. Ask fighters in the U.S. how many can live off of their Muay Thai paychecks only, not one will say that they can support a family. The growth and introduction to newer audiences is a must for it to succeed and some minor changes might have to be made so that it can appeal to a broader audience. If a UFC vet brings some positive attention to Muay Thai by fighting on a card then it is a good thing.
We can all agree we want to see Muay Thai succeed.
I do not think the sport will succeed if too many MMA fighters are fighting on muay thai cards. I feel that they are taking away from amazing pro muay thai fighters who have trouble finding fights in this country and struggle to pay the bills as strictly muay thai fighters, i.e Kevin Ross, and Chaz Mulkey. There are fan favorites on the FNF shows that are the same weight as those fighters. Wouldn't it be beneficial to the sport to bring out those fighters to compete in New York? Is FNF doing that? How can you say they are "ready to play with the big boys" if they aren't? Do we have to wait another 14+ years for it?
ReplyDeleteI agree that we want Muay Thai to grow and expand, but not by dumbing it down to appeal to a larger / broader audience. What is really gained by jumping on the current MMA bandwagon? You risk alienating your first and most loyal fan base (the Purists, I suppose we can call them), and make changes that may draw more advertising dollars but ultimately compromise the beauty of the sport you are trying to promote.
ReplyDeleteI was at the FNF event where Roli Delgado hugged his way to a win over Turan Hasanov and was disgusted not only by the lack of technique displayed by Delgado (who, adding insult to injury, later went on to shit all over East Coast Muay Thai in his post-fight interview - on this website, no less, WTF), but also the number of rude, drunk, ignorant MMA fanboy meatheads who obviously showed up just to watch a UFC fighter, not a Muay Thai fight.
Again, it remains a question of quality vs. quantity, of taking the time and effort to cultivate the growth of something that we all love, rather than taking shortcuts and appealing to the lowest common TapOut-tee wearing denominator.
Regarding the MMA fighters - we have had 3-4 former UFC veterans compete on our cards. It is not a regular staple of our shows, it simply creates additional opportunities for fans to get exposure to the sport.
ReplyDeleteAs far as high caliber fighters, if you see our response above, you'll see a brief list of just some of the fighters that have competed on our show. As of the current rankings on this website - 3 of the top 10 fighters have competed on our show 2 times or more and we have had several others that have been on this same list. A couple of months ago, the Muay Thai Authority had posted an article about amateurs that they would like to see go pro, more than half of them had competed on our events as well.
Not sure if anyone suggesting we don't have a strong track record of bringing in top talent has done their research but those that are familiar with the Friday Night Fights are aware that we are committed to consistently putting on the best shows we know how. Not for a few months or even just a few years - but always.
I can't believe what I am reading. I've been going to these events for something like 15 years already and they are consistently strong and the crowd is full of serious fight fans, fighter families and people out for a night on the town. Friday Night made this scene in New York. If you can do better month in month out, year in, year out, go ahead and try. Forget about the drunk kids in the crowd - you all sound like the fat guy next to them telling anyone who'll listen how he would fight if he were in the ring. He's not, and it just makes him look like an ass. And if the ass fits...
ReplyDeleteStop bitching and let's not ruin the last good underground scene I know in NY.