The Global Fight League on Monday announced its first two events, paving the way for a two-day bonanza of fights featuring dozens of high-profile names less than two months from now.
The GFL will officially launch as a promotion May 24 at the famed Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. A second night of fights goes down May 25 in the same venue. The GFL has promised broadcast details will be announced in April, as well as a ticket on-sale date.
The GFL is a team-based new MMA promotion with franchises, for lack of a better term, in six world cities. After a draft of eligible fighters in February, teams were assembled – and the GFL said in a Monday news release “team names and identities” will be announced before the start of the season.
In the GFL’s team system, fighters score points each bout. A finish win is worth 4, a decision win is 3, a draw is 2, a decision loss is 1 – and if you’re stopped, yourself, your team gets 0 points. Co-ed teams are made up of fighters across 10 weight-classes.
The fledgling promotion has made early waves in the industry by signing dozens and dozens of former champions, title challengers and major draws who have left the UFC, Bellator, PFL and other big promotions for GFL’s promised business model of a 50-50 revenue split with fighters.
All six GFL teams – Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo and Miami – have fighters in action across a whopping 31 total bouts over the two days. So far, L.A. is the only city to be announced for events. Additional cities and venues for future events are expected to be announced soon.
“We are thrilled to bring this innovative, team-based format, featuring both MMA legends and rising stars, to the Shrine Auditorium in May,” GFL founder Darren Owen said in a news release. “The atmosphere of this iconic venue is perfect for our athletes and fans, who will experience an electrifying event that showcases the world-class talent of our teams.”
A pair of trilogies are at the top of the bill May 24. Multi-time UFC title challenger and former WEC champ Urijah Faber (Team LA) will fight former UFC interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao (Sao Paulo) for a third time. Faber lost an interim title fight to Barao at UFC 149 in 2012. Four wins later, he had another shot at him, but was knocked out in the first round.
Faber retired in 2019. Barao has lost six straight fights and eight of his past nine. He returned in 2023 after nearly four years away and lost a split decision to a regional fighter at an event in Kuwait.
Also on that bill is a trilogy fight between former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (NY) and ex-UFC and WEC 155-pound titleholder Benson Henderson (London). Pettis beat Henderson in the final fight in WEC history to win the lightweight title in 2010. Less than three years later, he pulled off MMA’s consensus Submission of the Year to take a belt from Henderson again – that time in the UFC.
Pettis signed with the PFL in 2021, but lost four of his five fights there and was a high-profile signee who didn’t pan out. Henderson left the UFC for Bellator in 2016 and had a lengthy tenure there, but lost three title shots at welterweight and lightweight, including to Usman Nurmagomedov in what was Bellator’s final card before it was purchased and shelved by the PFL.
There is no shortage of high-impact names throughout the rest of the card who have made major MMA accomplishments, as well as some unique matchups.
The current lineups include:
GFL Los Angeles, May 24
Urijah Faber (LA) vs. Renan Barao (SP) Anthony Pettis (MIA) vs. Benson Henderson (LON) Holly Holm (NY) vs. Julia Budd (LON) Chad Mendes (LA) vs. Maike Linhares (SP) Derek Brunson (DUB) vs. Omari Akhmedov (DUB) Sage Northcutt (LA) vs. Lucas Martins (SP) Marlon Moraes (MIA) vs. Ray Borg (LA) Aspen Ladd (LA) vs. Alejandra Lara (SP) Robelis Despaigne (MIA) vs. Todd Duffee (DUB) Cat Zingano (MIA) vs. Alexa Conners (DUB) Neiman Gracie (NY) vs. Danny Roberts (LON) Jessica Penne (LA) vs. Joice Mara (SP) Charles Rosa (MIA) vs. Khumoyun Tukhtamuradov (DUB) Marisa Messer-Belenchia (NY) vs. Kelly Staddon (LON) Gleison Tibau (MIA) vs. Alex Oliveira (SP)GFL Los Angeles, May 25
Tony Ferguson (LA) vs. Dillon Danis (NY) Ovince Saint Preux (NY) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (LON) Uriah Hall (LA) vs. Douglas Lima (SP) Paige VanZant (MIA) vs. Randi Field (DUB) Louis Glisman (LA) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (DUB) Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (LA) vs. Viviane Pereira (SP) Alan Belcher (NY) vs. Stuart Austin (LON) Thiago Santos (MIA) vs. Devin Clark (NY) Lorenz Larkin (LA) vs. Carlos Petruzzella (SP) Jimmie Rivera (NY) vs. Cameron Else (LON) Natasha Kuziutina (MIA) vs. Jessica Aguilar (DUB) Phil Hawes (NY) vs. Grant Neal (LA) Kai Kamaka III (NY) vs. Mike Grundy (LON) Da Woon Jung (LA) vs. Ronny Markes (DUB) Miao Ding (NY) vs. Josefine Knutsson (LON) Read More Details
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