Muay Thai is one of the most historic and storied disciplines in all of combat sports, and the best practitioners in the “art of the eight limbs” compete and thrive under the Lion Fight promotional banner.

How to Watch Lion Fight 39

ON TV: Now Available on Roku & Apple TV 4

STREAMING: Available only on FloCombat. Yearly FloPRO access gets you premium content and events from ALL FloSports sites.

SIGN UP HERE

The United States-based organization boasts a roster filled with elite-level talent from around the globe, and all of those fighters are striving to carve out their place as the reigning king of their respective weight classes.

And that’s precisely what is on deck this Saturday at MTGP Presents: Lion Fight 39. The seven-fight event kicks off from The Indigo at O2 Arena in London and streams live on FloCombat, starting at 7 PM local time and 2 PM ET/11 AM PT.

Champions and rising stars alike line the card at Lion Fight 39, and here are three big reasons why you won’t want to miss the action this weekend in England’s capital city.

A Historic Offering

When it comes to delivering on promises made, few do it in the fashion of Scott Kent.

The CEO of Lion Fight Promotions spent some of his formative years studying at the University of London and vowed to return one day with an event that would make the entire city sit up and take notice.

The historical event marks the promotion’s first offering outside of the United States, and it’s one Kent is truly proud to hold in London.

“I made a promise to myself that one day I would come back to this phenomenal city and do something big, something that I hoped the whole city would notice,” Kent said in a press release ahead of the event. “With Lion Fight 39 presented by our great partners at Muay Thai Grand Prix, I am super excited to be making that promise become a reality.”

A Clash For Cruiserweight Supremacy

A time-honored saying in combat sports suggests a champion doesn’t become validated and certified until the first successful defense of his strap. And that’s what Chip Moraza-Pollard is determined to do at Lion Fight 39.

Furthermore, “The Surgeon” will also be looking to add another title to his collection, but Jordan Smith has golden ambitions of his own to pursue.

Along with Moraza-Pollard putting his Lion Fight cruiserweight strap on the line, the two elite talents will also step in to do battle for an additional strap — MTGP’s cruiserweight belt.

A dual title fight certainly makes Saturday night’s main event a truly unique affair, but there’s plenty of pride on the line as well between the two combatants.

Moraza-Pollard is adamant he did not make the journey across the pond just to relinquish his title in front of a capacity crown hungry for face-punching and kicking goodness.

“To have fought my way to the top of the promotion, securing the Lion Fight title, and getting the opportunity to fight in another country for the first time all in one year makes me excited for what the future will hold,” the champion told Scott Zerr in a recent interview.

“The Moroccan Freak Returns”

A shot at championship gold is all Amine Ballakrikh needed to get motivated. Even when the terms of that title tilt changes in the 11th hour.

The Virginia-based veteran had been competing at a comfortable weight, but when he received word a chance to scrap it out for a title at Lion Fight 39 was on the table, Ballakrikh agreed to make the jump up in weight where he’ll face Dean James for featherweight gold on Saturday in London.

That said, James developed a medical situation and was forced off the card entirely, and the promotion tapped Jose Varela to step in and take the fight.

Varela was initially slated to face Keith MacLachland for the super featherweight title, but that bout was removed from the card as well. Therefore, Ballakrikh and Varela will now step in to face one another, in a bout that will determine who becomes the new MTGP super featherweight champion.

Ballakrikh will enter the bout fresh off an impressive performance in which he scored a TKO victory over Johncy Lindor in the third round of their tilt at Lion Fight 37. “The Moroccan Freak” will need to live up to his name to best an opponent with the skills James possesses, but another dominant victory — complete with a divisional crown — could set Ballakrikh well on his way to becoming one of the promotion’s most prominent stars.