AFC 5: A chat with Jason Heit
April 11, 2011
Story and Photos by Gary Quinn – (ISN)
Being in the shoes of promoter Jason Heit is unlike driving your Mamma to the grocery store! With a penny pinching economy,the dynamic duo of Darren Owen and Jason Heit are in continuous effort in building a name for themselves reaching for the big leagues of the MMA scene.
“We’re trying to grow the show progressively as fast a pace as we can without breaking the bank” explained Heit. “It’s a fine line to grow our show within our budget.”
From the early days of the AFC,to latest April 2/11 Judgment Day this past weekend, notable changes have evolved, improving the venue each and every time. A larger ring,better lighting,skirting around the boards and a big four sided viewing screen are just some of many improvements, proving the AFC is a first class organization.
“It’s all budget related” stated Heit. “The more that we have,the better we make these shows”
The seating capacity for the Bear Mountain Arena is approximately 3300 and without the local fan support, fights like these would not be possible. Many promotors in North America have gone bankrupt attempting to do what Jason and Darren are succeeding with.
“We had about 2500 to 2600 that night ,but would be happy for a sellout” saidHeit.
The quality of well matched combative MMA athletes is what these fights are all about. With the likes of Sarah Kaufman and Nick Hinchliffe headlining the co-main event, local fans happily pay the price of admission to support local Island fighters.
Creating a fight card is the other half of the challenge.There are times when fighters get injured during training or other misfortunes. Or perhaps lesser experienced fighters get the so called “Chicken Flu” and backing out the last minute, to scared to fight!
Setting up a match for Sarah Kaufman is difficult in women’s MMA, giving the AFC an arduous task searching for a worthy opponent.
“Sarah is definitely a difficult fighter to matchmake for” explains Heit. “There are not that many athletes out there in her division, and for anyone willing to fight her, they have to be a high level”.
During the evening Jason Heit was a busy man, making sure the evening went smooth throughout the 10 bouts on the fight card. Never once really having a chance to watch the fights in detail. The live television feed will give him the opportunity to review at a later date.
“As a promoter, I’m doing so much that I miss some of the matches, especially the early fights on the card.”said Heit. “With my workload, guys that I coach, cornering 3 of my guys that I train, there isn’t much time to watch the entire event”.
AFC 5 Judgment Day was a success in the business of fight promotions, giving fans what they came for.
AFC 6 Conviction is about to erupt at Bear Mountain Arena! Don’t forget to mark June 18/2011 on your calendars for another night of first class action.
