Lion Fight Promotions' Scott Kent talks TV deal and more

Lion Fight Promotions (@LFPLasVegas) made waves in late 2012 with the announcement that they signed a deal with AXS TV. Their January 25th event "Lion Fight 8" in Las Vegas will air live on AXS TV and feature a main event bout between Yodsanklai Fairtex and Gregory Choplin. Lion Fight Promotions' President Scott Kent (@ScottLFP) was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about Lion Fight Promotions television debut and more.

MTA: Big news recently from Lion Fight that they will now be live on AXS TV. How important was it for Lion Fights growth to get on television?

Scott: Securing a television deal was one of our primary goals when Christine and I first formed Lion Fight Promotions two years ago. We've seen our fights grow as more people are exposed to this amazing sport and we feel that our television deal with AXS will allow us to reach a broad national audience through their very successful Friday night fight series as well as expand our sponsorship partners. Our fights have been described as the "best kept secret in Las Vegas", now we can bring the secret to 38 million homes.

MTA: Since Lion Fight was founded a few promotions have come and gone and not many have been able to put on the caliber of fight card that Lion Fight does. How is it that Lion Fight has been able to continue to grow?

Scott: The fight business isn't easy and there is a reason many promotions come and go. Financially it's very difficult and a group starting out had better be prepared to lose money on several fights and consider all of the ancillary costs when you put together a pro forma for a series of fights. Although the events are amazing, Christine and I are working on putting the shows together for ten weeks prior to fights and it's a lot of work. For us it’s a labor of love and if you don't have that love and respect for the sport it would be easy to walk away.

MTA: As a promoter do you feel you need a fighter to be the face of your promotion, why or why not?

Scott: I think it's very risky to rely on one fighter to be the face of your promotion. We have always focused on established and rising American stars as the core of our promotion while we bring in the best international talent. That’s why we have signed Joe Schilling, Kevin Ross and Tiffany Van Soest and are looking at others. With the competitive nature of the "business" of fighting sports there are always competing promoters that try and lure your fighters away. Fortunately for us, our experience is that many of the fighters have learned the hard way that many of groups that have promised the moon have disappeared and we are still here and growing. We want fighters that are committed to Muay Thai and Lion Fight.

MTA: As a Muay Thai promotions how difficult is it to promote in a city (Las Vegas) that right now seems to be infatuated with MMA?

Scott: Actually, I think it works to our advantage because MMA fighters are some of our biggest fans. They all train in Muay Thai and have been very supportive of our fights. By having Jen Wenk, who worked for the UFC for 6 years handle our media relations she has access to all of the MMA media outlets that have also been very supportive of Lion Fight. By being a Las Vegas based company and in the absence of national media for Muay Thai we feel having MMA involved in what we are doing in the Fight Capital of the World makes perfect sense.

MTA: Do you feel Lion Fight is where you expected it to be when the promotion was launched two years ago?

Scott: Christine and I were just reflecting on that a bit. People told me we would never get a TV deal in less that 3-4 years, we did it in 2. That we wouldn't be able to attract major international fighters, we have. Muay Thai would be a difficult sell to the American public, we have a tremendous fan following that is growing daily and with our deal with AXS we feel Muay Thai will explode in the United States. So we are thrilled about Lion Fight and attention we have garnered. It this has always been about working in a sport we love and that we feel is the most exciting stand up fighting style in the world.

MTA: What do you see as the next step for the evolution of Lion Fight now that you are on TV?

Scott: We want to further brand Lion Fight as the preeminent Muay Thai promotion in the United States and continue to bring our fans the best fights. We also have more surprises for 2013 so follow our website for updates, LionFightPromotions.com.

Photo by Bennie Palmore (www.BenniePalmore.com)