The Global Fight League (GFL) has announced its first eight signings for the Buenos Aires Gauchos ahead of its planned December 18 event in Argentina.
The event is scheduled to take place at Club Atlético Lanús in Buenos Aires, where the Gauchos are set to face the Miami Monsters. The promotion announced the event earlier this week, the GFL announced it will hold its inaugural event on Dec. 18 with the latest roster reveal providing the first look at the fighters expected to represent the Argentine team. The first eight names announced for the Buenos Aires Gauchos are:
Middleweight: Dante Romero (9-8)
Welterweight: Matias Ponce (12-5, 1 NC)
Lightweight: Franco Rios (4-0)
Lightweight: Thomas Juarez (6-2)
Featherweight: Lionel Abojer (12-4)
Featherweight: Eduardo Cajal (9-5)
Bantamweight: Ryan Martinez (9-1)
Flyweight: Nicolas Rodriguez (9-3)
The announcement gives the Gauchos representation across six weight classes, with two fighters each in the lightweight and featherweight divisions. Franco Rios also stands out as the only undefeated fighter among the eight announced signings, entering the relaunch with a 4-0 professional record.
While GFL has started revealing the Buenos Aires lineup, the Miami Monsters’ full roster is yet to be announced.
Former UFC title contender Marlon Moraes has already been added to the Miami team. However, according to MMA Fighting, sources close to the event say Moraes will not compete on the December 18 card.
The promotion is expected to announce additional fighters for both teams as preparations continue.
The upcoming event represents an important attempt by GFL to finally stage its first show after its original launch plans failed to materialise in 2025.
The promotion initially attracted considerable attention after announcing the signings of several established MMA names, including former UFC champions Tyron Woodley, Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Anthony Pettis and Holly Holm. However, events scheduled for May 24 and 25, 2025, were subsequently cancelled, leaving the organisation without an official event. The December 18 show in Argentina is therefore being positioned as the promotion’s fresh start, although the full team lineups and details of how the team-versus-team scoring format will operate remain to be clarified.
With eight Gauchos now announced and the Miami roster still being assembled, attention will turn to the remaining signings and the eventual fight matchups.
GFL is aiming to introduce a team-based format in which fighters represent their respective cities, with Buenos Aires and Miami set to meet in the promotion’s planned opening event.
Whether the December relaunch can deliver on the expectations surrounding the organisation will become clearer as the event approaches.
