HOW TO RUN AN MMA EVENT — THE PROMOTER'S CHECKLIST.
Running an MMA event means juggling fighters, medicals, matchmaking, the commission and the card itself. Here's the checklist experienced promoters follow — and where software saves you weeks.
1. Build your roster before you need it
The card you can run is limited by the fighters you can call. Keep a living roster with records, weight classes, gyms and contact details — not a spreadsheet you update twice a year. CageLink keeps records synced with Tapology so your roster is never stale.
2. Book the venue and date, then work backwards
Once the date is locked, everything has a deadline: matchups, medicals, commission paperwork, promotion. Work backwards from fight night and give every task an owner. CageLink's team tasks and weekly medical digest keep those deadlines visible to your whole team.
3. Make the matchups early
Late matchmaking is how cards fall apart. Rank your roster by weight class, find the gaps, and book the main card first. CageLink's AI rankings and matchup suggestions show you the top of every division so you can fill the card from strength.
4. Clear medicals weeks out, not days
Bloodwork and physicals are the most common reason bouts die late. Track every fighter's documents against your event date and chase the outstanding ones early. CageLink flags exactly who's missing what for each upcoming card, every Monday, by email.
5. Publish the card and let fighters promote it
Your fighters are your best marketing channel. Give them a public fight card and personal links they can share — every share sells the show. CageLink generates the public card, fighter links and print-ready PDFs from the same data.
6. Keep one source of truth
The promoters who scale are the ones who stop retyping. Roster, matchups, medicals, card and exports should all come from one place — that's what CageLink is. Start your 7-day free trial on the pricing page.
Run your promotion on CageLink
$69/month, every feature included. Start with a 7-day free trial — $0 due today.
Start free trial