Why did Roman gladiators fight lions?

Gladiators Before fighting, gladiators had to swear the following oath: "I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword." ... Under the floor of the Coliseum was a labyrinth of rooms, hallways, and cages where weapons were stored and animals and gladiators waited for their turn to perform. read more

For one, gladiators never really fought lions. Lions were used either as a means of execution, or more commonly to be shown off either through displays or through fights with other animals or lions. This was done to show the prestige of the Roman Empire as they import exotic animals from far stretches of the empire. read more

Many gladiators and lions did die in the ring. The Romans created all types of fights, not only between gladiators, but between different animals, between humans and animals, and often just fed prisoners to animals as"sport." They killed so many animals that they caused several species to go extinct. read more