Daniel Lafond is a mixed martial arts fanatic, but he never thought he would become a promoter.
However, he has been doing this for almost two years with Samouraï MMA, a young organization he founded in the middle of a pandemic.
“It’s been simmering since 2018,” he admits during a video conference. I worked as a caterer for martial arts organizations in Quebec. There was TKO, the large organization led by Stéphane Patry.
“He had health problems, I tried to buy and the offer was not accepted. It came to a standstill, but fighters called me and asked me to do something.”
Jump into the void
In this context, the Montrealer jumped into the void and was not yet at the end of his problems as the pandemic complicated things.
“I gathered my courage and gradually developed the organization further. Out of passion and because I have been attending galas as an amateur for twenty years.
“At first I was a bit naive and thought I would be good at composing cards, but it’s so much more. That’s only 20% of the work. At the beginning we only had one sponsor, and that was for the gloves.
Finally, in November 2021, Samuraï held a first gala, an evening marked by restrictions due to the health measures in force at the time, but an evening that went well.
“We were the first martial arts organization in Canada to be able to hold a gala during the pandemic,” he says with a hint of pride.
Gradually
Daniel Lafond wants to host five galas a year. There is one this Saturday at the Capitole de Québec. He first developed the Montreal market before visiting Gatineau, Sherbrooke and now Quebec, where there will be a menu “worthy of Place Bell.”
“In the first year we wanted to focus exclusively on Montreal,” explains Daniel Lafond. We wanted to find fans who haven’t done mixed martial arts in five years. We went to Gatineau and Sherbrooke and picked arenas that were pretty big.
“I prefer to have arenas that are full rather than rushing to Place Bell to flatter my ego. I want to win every single customer, and when we’re ready, we’ll move on to something bigger.”
UFC interest
But in just two years, Samuraï will be at its eighth gala on Saturday. The organization highlights fighters from Quebec and Canada and their development does not go unnoticed.
“We will announce on Saturday that we have reached an agreement with UFC Fightpass, making us the latest organization to appear there,” reveals Daniel Lafond.
“It will be a good help to us financially with the TV rights.”
UFC Fightpass is the American organization’s subscription channel and allows Samuraï to make its galas available around the world.
Young audience
Samuraï wants to stand out for its professionalism, but also for the audience that the organization attracts.
“It’s certain that it’s not quite the same clientele as boxing, where the fans are a little older.
“In our case, people are mainly there to cheer for the fighters that are on the card. There is also a ranking system that makes it a little easier to imagine the upcoming fighters.”
Daniel Lafond also knows he risks losing fighters in the coming months. He thinks of Alex Morgan and Tommy Morrisson, who are on the UFC’s doorstep.
“If a fighter leaves the UFC, I don’t get any income. My reward is knowing that he made it thanks to Samurai.”
And for an organization that is only two years old, that is a great satisfaction.
The Samuraï 8 Gala takes place on Saturday at the Capitole de Québec.