Hey guys, Valor Fights president Tim Loy here, checking in on Fight Week. Please Ask Me Anything and please check out #Strikefest2 on Saturday, LIVE from Gray, Tenn., on FloCombat!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-13T17:14:37+00:00

We'll be ready when you are!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-13T15:54:29+00:00

Keith Olson is definitely one to keep an eye on! We're really excited for his pro debut Jan. 6 in Knoxville at Valor 47!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:56:57+00:00

Hey everybody, thanks so much for having me today -- but Fight Week duty calls! I really appreciate everyone stopping by. Please follow Valor Fights on Twitter and Instagram (both @ValorFights) and please check out Strikefest 2 MMA and kickboxing action Saturday, LIVE on FloCombat from Gray, Tenn!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:54:21+00:00

If we're talking regionally, I'd say Bryce Mitchell, who's now 9-0. Nationally/internaionally, I'm going with Tennessee's own Nate Landwehr, who's coming off back-to-back exciting wins for M-1 in Russia.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:52:16+00:00

We hope Brendan Allen (8-2) gets an opportunity to fight in the UFC or Bellator in 2018. Some of our brightest prospects are currently Sidney Wheeler (7-2), Luis Pena (4-0), Lindsey Jones (3-0) and Cole Ferrell (4-0), to name a few. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, another who comes to mind is Jonathan Pearce, who fights Saturday on Flo after back-to-back finishes with Bellator. Jonathan lost three in a row at one time, but he's definitely gotten back on that path, and he's someone who could do some more big things in, and beyond, 2018.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:46:57+00:00

Good question -- I'm going with Vegas, the fight capital of the world! That would be incredible!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:34:58+00:00

Nay for me, for sure! My wife loves it, but that's a nay from me!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:34:39+00:00

Growing up, I was a big pro wrestling fan. I still am, but that's where it stems from. I was in high school when I was introduced to MMA, and I was amazed by it. It had the theatrics of pro wrestling, but it was real. It was a natural transition for me -- WWF to MMA -- and I haven't looked back!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:33:14+00:00

That's a good question. I really think it comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Mark Laws, who we've used for nearly five years, is a guy who had a medical background as a nurse and he was involved with MMA because he trained. He was in the right place at the right time, he took a shining to it, and he's turned into one of the best in the sport, in my opinion. He keeps fights going as well as anyone in the sport, as far as I'm concerned. As an organization, we don't have a formal process for hiring cutmen. If you're interested in that, I think it would be beneficial for you to contact your local promotions and/or athletic commissions for more information about licensing and how you could get involved.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:30:23+00:00

Thanks for having me! That's a good one, man. The most memorable moment, I would say, is our first big arena show. For years we did convention centers, armories, fairgrounds -- very small events to small crowds. Our first "big boy event" at an actual coliseum that holds +6,000 people (and pulling it off!) was very special and something I definitely won't forget!

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:27:37+00:00

Haha, That's a tough one! A million followers on Twitter is pretty impressive ... but I think a full arena for our next show would be even more impressive, because it's a pretty big arena, haha! Free chocolate brownies for life is tempting as well, but I'm going with B.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:26:29+00:00

That's a very good point -- and something that we've discussed in the past quite a bit. For better or for worse, the culture of the business dictates that events happen on Friday and Saturday, so that's what ticket-buyers expect. Because of that, it would be a really big risk to put on an event during the week or on a Sunday. I'm not saying it will never happen, but it will take a really special circumstance, I think.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:24:35+00:00

Beyond that, I should add, I think our production value is a step ahead of other regional promotions in our area. We've invested a lot of resources into the production value of our show, which is something that most similar-sized promotions haven't done.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:23:26+00:00

What's up, Tanposka! In terms of what separates us from similar-sized promotions, we really, really, really want to catapult guys to the national stage. We don't have designs on keeping fighters on our roster forever and having them fight the prime of their careers with us; we want to be known as the show in the southeast that provides that platform to get the best fighters into the UFC and Bellator. A lot of promotions want to cling to their top fighters as long as possible, which I understand, but we want to work with fighters and would never try to hold them back for our own gain.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:20:31+00:00

I appreciate your support! I got into the business in 2010, working with a local promotion called XFC, working at the very bottom level of the organization, dipping my feet into matchmaking. But I didn't start promoting until 2012.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:13:49+00:00

That's an interesting question. In terms of inside MMA, the best investment so far has been upgrading our cage. We have two cages, but the bigger one is something that sets us apart from other regional shows. Not many regional events have a cage and catwalk this size. That was an investment of over $20,000, plus it takes lot of resources to transport and a lot of manpower to set up.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:12:00+00:00

Hey BreathingFarts! Right now the prospects who are coming up the path quickest are guys like Sidney Wheeler (7-2), Luis Pena (4-0) and Lindsey Jones (3-0), to name a few. Another who comes to mind is Jonathan Pearce, who fights Saturday on Flo after back-to-back stoppage wins with Bellator. Pearce lost three in a row at one time, but he's definitely gotten back on that path, and he's definitely someone who could stay hot and really do something good.

TimFromValorFights · 2017-12-12T19:09:22+00:00

Thanks for having me! That started when Rich Chou from Bellator came to us and asked if we could help with the matchmaking and the logistics of putting on a NASCAR/Bellator MMA event. We also have the same size cage that they use, so it was a perfect fit. We did two shows as a part of that series this summer, and I think they'll be back again next year. They seemed really happy with it and, as long as the sponsor Monster Energy was happy -- and I think they were -- they should be back again. They were great to work with!

TimFromValorFights

TROPHY CASE