The launch of the Global Fight League (GFL) has gone off the rails, and former BKFC heavyweight champion Alan Belcher isn’t holding back.
Belcher, who was scheduled to fight Stuart Austin on May 25 in Los Angeles as part of GFL’s debut weekend, is now among a growing list of fighters voicing frustration after the promotion suddenly canceled both of its highly anticipated debut shows. No warning, no real explanation, just a last-minute pullout that left fighters and fans hanging.
On his Instagram, Belcher had a lot to say to the GFL and their recent change of events.
“The GFL is f*cking cancelled, guys. First off, I feel really bad for any of you guys that got flights. Some people had already changed their plans and bought tickets to come see me fight… It seems like it’s all just a big, lack of a better word, scam. I don’t know. That’s just what it looks like.”
Belcher added that there was no solid proof of payments promised to fighters, and that many of them were left in the dark about where things stood financially.
The promotion’s founder, Darren Owen, later confirmed that the plug was pulled because the league’s “primary investor was unable to meet their funding commitment.” In the same breath, he claimed GFL still plans to launch at a later date, and that any contracted fighter is free to request a release.
But the damage may already be done. Belcher revealed he was even asked to stay on the card without a guaranteed purse just the promise of “some revenue share” if the show somehow went ahead.
“He is still trying to make the fight happen,” Belcher said. “I talked to Darren the other day and he offered to give me some revenue share and stuff if I would fight for not a guaranteed purse.”
Understandably, Belcher wasn’t having it. In the same social media post, he tagged Misfits Boxing’s Mams Taylor and BKFC president David Feldman, hinting that a new fight announcement could be on the horizon.
Despite the growing skepticism, Owen insists the promotion is still alive and now targeting new dates—June 15 and 16. However with the recent cancellation it is unclear if the company promotion will be able to pick up from where it left off,
For now, the whole situation feels like another cautionary tale in the fight business. Whether GFL rebounds or fades out entirely, one thing is clear: fighters like Alan Belcher aren’t staying silent.
