MMA News

Tag: GFL

  • GFL Announces Plans For 2026 Start, Announces Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold

    GFL Announces Plans For 2026 Start, Announces Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold

    The Global Fight League is doing take two and has announced plans to restart operations in 2026.

    The GFL announced their intention to finally get events started through a statement on social media — the promotion’s first statement since the spring.

    “To the athletes, fans and partners, thank you for your patience and support. We’ve been hard at work and look forward to sharing what’s next,” the GLF’s statement said. “Stay tuned, more to come on our plans for 2026.”

    The GFL also announced a rematch between former UFC middleweight champions Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold, which the GFL also promoted through a social media post. No information about an event date or location has been revealed, however.

    GFL Planning To Resume Operations In 2026

    The GFL was formally launched in late 2024, intending to re-introduce the team-based format that was seen with the IFL in the mid-2000s. The plan was to have six teams be formed, based in London, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York, with a points-based system and events held throughout the year at each of the various locations and a champion team crowned at the end of the year.

    The league promoted various different benefits from fighters not seen in other MMA promotions, including revenue share, retirement benefits, and insurance coverage.

    A draft was held in January but was blasted for promoting it as “live” after its results were leaked out. Plans were then for a pair of events to be held in Los Angeles in May before they were canceled and operations paused, with founder Darren Owen claiming a missed financial commitment from a key investor.

  • GFL Nixes Debut Fight Cards, Founder Addresses Circumstances Behind It

    GFL Nixes Debut Fight Cards, Founder Addresses Circumstances Behind It

    The Global Fight League’s (GFL) debut has hit turbulence before takeoff.

    Last month, the newly launched MMA promotion announced its inaugural doubleheader, scheduled for May 24 and May 25 at the historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.

    GFL, which boasts a roster of over 300 fighters including multiple former champions from elite organizations, had mapped out an ambitious slate of 31 fights featuring matchups between all six city-based teams.

    However, on Wednesday, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that GFL’s highly anticipated debut events had been officially scrapped, citing confirmation from California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

    In a statement to Uncrowned, GFL founder Darren Owen explained that the cancellation stemmed from a missed financial commitment by one of the promotion’s key investors. Despite the setback, Owen expressed confidence in navigating the issue and hinted that California may no longer be the destination for their launch. He also revealed that the new target dates of June 15 and 16 are currently on the table as the promotion looks to regroup and move forward.

    GFL’s first two fight cards were stacked with star power, boasting marquee names like Tony Ferguson, Holly Holm, Urijah Faber, Renan Barao, Alexander Gustafsson, Dillon Danis, Chad Mendes, Gleison Tibau, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Paige VanZant, and Cat Zingano.

    Beyond the opening lineup, the promotion’s fighter pool is equally impressive, featuring veterans such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Yoel Romero, Douglas Lima, Ovince Saint Preux, Todd Duffee, Chris Weidman, and Luke Rockhold.

    Several fighters signed to GFL, including VanZant, have publicly praised the promotion’s generous offerings, highlighting perks such as full insurance coverage, a 50-50 revenue-sharing model, and even pension plans. While the benefits have turned heads across the MMA world, they’ve also sparked skepticism regarding how the promotion can sustain such a model over time.

  • Tony Ferguson’s First Post-UFC Fight Set As GFL Announces ‘Legendary’ Dillon Danis Clash

    Tony Ferguson’s First Post-UFC Fight Set As GFL Announces ‘Legendary’ Dillon Danis Clash

    Tony Ferguson is preparing to compete for the first time in 14 years under a banner other than the UFC.

    Last month, Ferguson inked a deal with the newly launched MMA promotion, Global Fight League (GFL), after parting ways with the UFC. His departure came on the heels of a historic eight-fight losing streak that spanned over four years.

    On Friday, the GFL, which will feature a unique team-based format, announced that “El Cucuy” will represent Team Los Angeles, led by UFC Hall of Famer Wanderlei Silva, in an upcoming lightweight showdown against the polarizing Dillon Danis of Team New York.

    However, key details such as the fight date, venue, and other specifics have yet to be revealed.

    Ferguson last stepped into the Octagon at UFC Abu Dhabi last August, where he suffered a first-round submission loss to welterweight veteran Michael Chiesa.

    The 41-year-old Californian once rode the wave of a dominant 12-fight win streak and held the UFC interim 155-pound title. However, his trajectory took a sharp downturn after a grueling war with Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020.

    Meanwhile, “El Jefe” has made more headlines for controversies than actual fights inside the cage. Despite being signed with Bellator, Danis only competed twice under the promotion’s banner, securing first-round submission victories in both outings. His last MMA appearance dates back to June 2019 at Bellator 222, where he made quick work of Max Humphrey.

    Danis last stepped into combat sports action in a boxing match against YouTuber-turned-WWE star Logan Paul at MF & DAZN: X Series 10 – PRIME Card in October 2023. The fight took a wild turn when the 31-year-old New Jersey native attempted to lock “The Maverick” in a chokehold, resulting in his disqualification in the sixth round.

    “El Jefe” is lined up to face KSI in a 185-pound showdown, headlining Misfits Boxing 21 on March 29 at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. The matchup was previously canceled in January 2023 after Danis withdrew just a week before fight night without providing a specific reason.

  • GFL Founder Explains Announcing Fighters Who Hadn’t Actually Signed: ‘If You Look At The History Of Drafts…’

    GFL Founder Explains Announcing Fighters Who Hadn’t Actually Signed: ‘If You Look At The History Of Drafts…’

    There appears to be a new confusing conversation surrounding the GFL at each turn. When the Global Fight League first started announcing a huge list of athletes that would be entering into their draft which took place last Friday, there were a lot of questions.

    It quickly became apparent that all of those names wouldn’t actually be signed to the promotion, only the fighters that were picked up by one of the six teams but things haven’t been that simple. We now know the teams and which fighters were picked but there is still an on-going debate around the legitimacy of the draft following the news that some fighters didn’t agree to be taking part in it.

    The most vocal of those names was Rashad Evans who claimed on social media that he didn’t consent to being in the GFL draft after already being picked as a member of the Los Angeles team. GFL founder Darren Owen looked to explain this during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

    Owen said that out of the 120 fighters who were selected, only a “couple” of them hadn’t signed their contracts before the drafts took place which could be for multiple reasons. He specifically mentioned that in the case of Evans, they had already been told by his management that they had the all clear to put Evans in.

    He stated that the GFL doesn’t want to sign fighters that don’t want to be there so every member of the roster had the option to part ways with the promotion after being drafted. With that in mind, Owen believes that this is just like any other draft where there are some final boxes to tick before the Global Fight League gets underway in April.

    “We’ll see. Literally the day before the draft I’m like, ‘Ali, we’re good to put him in?’ And he’s like, ‘Yes brother, yes brother, we’re good to put him in.’ So we put him in and obviously Rashad came out afterwards and said like, ‘Hey I didn’t sign.’ I think if you look at the history of drafts, are any of those athletes signed before they get drafted to the team? No… There’s a lot of examples of thing that happen post-draft and this is just similar format to that.”

  • GFL Founder: We Can Make Fights ‘People Want To See’, Like Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis

    GFL Founder: We Can Make Fights ‘People Want To See’, Like Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis

    The GFL is confident that they can deliver bouts that the fans are going to want to tune in for. With the promotion set to host their first event in April, the first few weeks/months for the promotion have not been plain sailing in terms of the general reception to what they’re trying to do.

    Whilst the Global Fight League is confident that their team-based format will bring a new and exciting element to MMA which will draw upon the appeal of other mainstream sports, the response from a lot of fans has been sceptical to say the least. This certainly hasn’t been helped by the names that were announced for the draft with many of the top names being fighters that are well past their peaks.

    The teams are now drawn up following the draft that took place last Friday, although there is still some concerns that have been raised as to which fighters actually agreed to fighting for the GFL before being drafted. The GFL may have a distinct format but founder Darren Owen has made it clear that this won’t stop them from putting on the fights that make the most sense.

    This is something that Owen spoke about during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show where he spoke about the results and reaction from the draft. Owen named several fights that we could potentially see in the promotion in the near future now that we actually know, on paper at least, who will be competing for the promotion in 2025.

    One of those fights that he mentioned was a bout between a UFC legend who holds the record for the most consecutive losses in the promotion having not won a fight in his last eight outings against another big name who also hasn’t won a fight since 2019, having previously been disqualified in a boxing match with Logan Paul.

    “We can make the fights that people want to see, and we’re listening to everybody. Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis, that may be something that will come to fruition.”

    The two other matchups that Owen named were rematches between established names with Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber 3 and Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman 2 being on the table. For reference, the last encounters between these men took place 10 and 11 years ago.

  • Former UFC Champion Rashad Evans Claims He Was Drafted By The GFL Without His ‘Consent’

    Former UFC Champion Rashad Evans Claims He Was Drafted By The GFL Without His ‘Consent’

    If you thought things with the Global Fight League (GFL) were a circus after the draft, things took even more of a turn on Jan. 25 thanks to a claim on social media made by Rashad Evans.

    Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was announced by the promotion to have been drafted to the GFL team based in Los Angeles as one of its two light heavyweight competitors, with the other being Da Woon Jung.

    This caught the attention of another legendary former champion in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — a longtime rival of Evans’. The two have been pegged to reignite their rivalry with a boxing bout in April, with “Suga” confirming those plans in November.

    Jackson, via social media, asked how it was possible for Evans to be drafted by the promotion due to their booked bout.

    Well, according to Evans, he never agreed to be part of such a draft.

    If Evans’ claim is true, this is the latest in a series of confusing moves and criticism the promotion is already facing before an event is even scheduled.

    The GFL came under fire for several reasons in regard to its draft, from a stream for such an event not being set up until the day of, to the pacing of the draft broadcast, to the AI-created introduction video and content.

    There’s also the fact that the full teams were released in full after the fifth round, despite the promotion’s claim that this was to be a “live” draft.

    This news also brings speculation on fighters actually having signed with the promotion into question. Examples of this include Tony Ferguson signing with the GFL despite the UFC having not formally released him, as well as the promotion claiming to have signed Kenny Mokhonoana, who then fought on the PFL Champions Series card the day after the GFL Draft.

  • Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

    Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

    The Global Fight League, or GFL, have announced a huge amount of names who will be eligible for the promotion’s upcoming draft this month. GFL is set to host its first event around April where the team-based season format will kick off once fighters have been selected by their chosen teams.

    Many of the names on the current roster, particularly on the men’s side, are former UFC fighters who will add a certain amount of name value to the promotion from the very start. Amongst them is former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee who recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to go into more detail about the promotion and his initial impressions of working with them.

    Lee spoke during the interview about other names that could be joining him in the promotion who could be potential opponents for him at some stage. He specifically mentioned a former opponent of his who has been on a difficult run inside the Octagon as of late.

    One of the criticisms of the GFL thus far has been the amount of fighters on the roster who are perceived to be over the hill or in some cases, already at the end of their careers. That would also be the narrative surrounding Tony Ferguson whose name still carries a degree of weight despite the fact that he has lost his last eight fights in a row which is a record for the MMA leader.

    It appeared following his last defeat against Michael Chiesa that “El Cucuy” had one foot in retirement after he took off one of his gloves inside the cage before he later confirmed that he isn’t done yet. During his losing streak, Dana White has repeatedly made it clear that he hopes Ferguson retires with his 41st birthday being just around the corner.

    However, according to what Lee has heard, it looks like Ferguson could be beginning a new chapter rather than closing the book for good.

    “I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around, the one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson,” Lee told Helwani. “He’s had his ups and downs in his career but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship and I think that’s something that a lot of people can get behind and that’s a fight that I really, really want. He’s in talks with them.”

  • New Global Fight League Calls Out PFL Over Treatment Of Patrício Pitbull

    New Global Fight League Calls Out PFL Over Treatment Of Patrício Pitbull

    Patrício Pitbull has been very outspoken about his desire to leave the PFL after claiming that he has not been offered any fights in the second half of 2024. The Bellator champion states that during preparations for a recent return, the fight was cancelled and he was not given a new date or opponent.

    The Brazilian recently posted a series of messages on social media where he provided the latest update in his communications with the promotion. Pitbull started by saying that following a call between the PFL’s Pete Murray and his management, it was made clear that he will not be granted his release from the promotion with his contract running out in May.

    He criticized the promotion for claiming to be fighter first whilst planning to book him in April next year instead of allowing him to be active. In one of several posts, the champion wrote:

    “It’s really absurd and disappointing that I have to come on X to voice all this. Do the right thing and release me @PeteMurrayPFL @DonnDavisPFL. I was a @BellatorMMA fighter and it no longer exists. The promotion is gone and so should I.”

    There has been a lot of talk about the PFL, its format and its growth in recent years and the same is sure to be the case for the Global Fight League. The GFL is set to launch next year after announcing its huge roster and plans for the team-based season format.

    The GFL also claims to be putting the fighters first and has implemented systems like a revenue share and retirement fund in order to prove this stance. The new promotion on the block recently commented on the recent situation regarding Pitbull and his PFL contract by criticizing the way that he has been treated.

    “The GFL was designed, in part, to avoid these kinds of issues. ‘Fighters’ are athletes, and more importantly, people. They needn’t be treated merely as commodity. We hope there is a positive resolution to this issue for @PatricioPitbull.”

  • Dana White Gives Short Reaction To Host Of UFC Veterans Returning For Global Fight League Launch

    Dana White Gives Short Reaction To Host Of UFC Veterans Returning For Global Fight League Launch

    The Global Fight League (GFL) recently announced a huge number of additions to its roster ahead of the promotion’s full launch in 2025. Many of the names are familiar to fight fans as a whole host of former UFC fighters, veterans and champions are available to be drafted before the GFL’s team-based season format gets underway.

    Despite this being a major announcement in the MMA landscape, the reaction from a lot of fans wasn’t overly positive because many of the top names that have come to terms with the GFL are fighters that are either in the final years of their careers or seen to be past their primes. Given his previous comments on other promotions that have looked to change the MMA landscape, it’s not surprising that UFC boss Dana White was sceptical to say the least.

    Rather than criticizing the GFL, White welcomed them to come and try their hand at mixed martial arts during his post-fight press conference in Tampa this past weekend. With a smirk on his face, he is happy to see how other promotions will attempt to compete and do things differently.

    “I actually don’t know anything about it. I saw this all the time, I welcome everybody. Listen, there’s no barrier to get into this sport. I hear a lot of people saying that we ‘don’t do this right’ or we ‘don’t do that right’. Come on in everybody, dive in.”

    Though White said that he wasn’t familiar with the promotion’s recent announcement, after having a list of some of the top signings read out to him, he gave his response to hearing some of the names that GFL has acquired. There was a particular emphasis places on the inclusion of Wanderlei Silva who at 48-years old, hasn’t fought since he departed the UFC in 2013 and returned to fight twice in Bellator in 2017 and 2018.

    “Fascinating. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  • ‘Washed Fighter Olympics’ – Fans React To Global Fight League Announcing Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, & More For 2025 Roster

    ‘Washed Fighter Olympics’ – Fans React To Global Fight League Announcing Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, & More For 2025 Roster

    The Global Fight League (GFL) dropped a major announcement ahead of the promotion’s launch in 2025. GFL founder Darren Owen revealed on The Ariel Helwani show on Wednesday that the promotion have signed a huge amount of fighters to their roster with many being former UFC veterans.

    GFL looks to stand out from other promotions by running 15 events next year that will see fighters being drafted to different teams before they compete in a season format. Many of the new signings announced by Owen will be familiar to fight fans with well-known names and former UFC champions like Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley, Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis and Frank Mir among many, many others.

    The announcement has been met with mixed reactions thus far with some fans taking issue with the team-based format and some of the talent that has joined the promotion. Many of the noteworthy names are fighters towards the end of their careers or in some cases, former competitors that had already announced their retirements.

    Not to mention fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Fabricio Werdum who at 48 and 47-years old, recently revealed that they suffered from irreversible brain damage in the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC that has now been settled.

    Fight fans gave their response on social media to the catalogue of names that the GFL have signed with six teams drafting 20 fighters from a pool of 300 at the start of the season.

    “Bro please read all the names on this list. This is gonna be like the washed fighter Olympics”

    “Nice… But Greg Hardy though”

    “Rousimar Palhares??”

    “Is this real? I know many are older but that is still a pretty insane start to a promotion.”

    “Jake Paul will come knocking for his first mma bout with the average age on that roster. And Palhares? Who thought that’d be a good idea?”

    “I’m all for more competition but this is a stretch. A lot of older guys with not much left in the tank.”

    “*Grandpas Fight League”

    “Pretty much all fighters that i would prefer to see stay retired..”

    “Is that a retiring league for fighters? Like a home, or something?”

    https://twitter.com/Radagast1977/status/1866942235318817261