The First 3 Key Hires You Need When Starting a Fight Promotion – From Someone Who’s Done It
- adamskovax
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
Yesterday, I had a call with a fighter who had just started his fight promotion in Barzil. He asked me a crucial question: “What are the first key hires I should make?”
At the beginning, you’ll wear many hats—negotiating deals, organizing the events, handling marketing, matchmaking, and more. But as your promotion grows, you’ll need a solid team to make it sustainable. Here are the three most important roles you need to fill first:
One of the most critical part of any fight promotion is, well, the fights. A great matchmaker is responsible for building exciting, competitive matchups that fans want to see and that fighters are eager to take. They need to understand styles, fighter personalities, and marketability. Without the right fights, your promotion has no event.
What to look for in a matchmaker:
Strong industry connections with fighters, managers, and coaches.
A deep understanding of fight styles and compelling matchups.
The ability to negotiate and get fighters to say yes to the right fights.
A fight promotion is a massive logistical challenge, and things can go wrong fast. That’s why having an Operations Manager is a game-changer. They handle everything from venue logistics to fighter check-ins, weigh-ins, event staffing, medicals, and making sure everything runs smoothly pre-event, on fight week, and post-event.
Early on, this role might cover both fight operations (rules, commissions, regulations) and event operations (venue, production, logistics) until you can expand further.
What to look for in an Operations Manager:
Strong organizational skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
Experience in combat sports event planning or large-scale event management.
The ability to coordinate across multiple departments (fighters, venues, production teams, etc.).
The fight game is more than just fights—it’s storytelling and hype-building. If no one sees your event, no one buys tickets, no one watches, and no sponsors care. Your Media & Content Lead is responsible for creating, capturing, and distributing content that grows your audience and builds anticipation.
This includes:
Fight announcements, promo videos, and social media content.
Behind-the-scenes footage that brings fans closer to the fighters.
Engaging with fans and creating viral moments that drive attention to your promotion.
What to look for in a Media & Content Lead:
Strong video production and content creation skills.
Knowledge of digital marketing and social media growth strategies.
The ability to create engaging storytelling around fighters and events.
Building a Fight Promotion That Actually Grows
Many fight promotions struggle because they try to do everything themselves or don’t invest in the right team early enough. While you might have to juggle multiple roles at first, bringing in these three key people will allow you to scale and turn your promotion into something real.
I’ve seen this firsthand as the former President of Karate Combat and co-creator of Dirty Boxing—I know what it takes to build a fight promotion from the ground up. That’s why at SKOVAX Entertainment, we help fighters & fight promotions grow—whether it’s consulting, building a strong brand, increasing social media presence, or locking in full-scale operation. If you’re serious about taking your fight career or promotion to the next level, let’s talk.
📩 Message us to start scaling today!
コメント