A new MMA promotion –GFL–is set to launch, and the whole MMA world is on the edge of its seats.
Global Fight League founder Darren Owen announced the launch of his new team-based organisation GFL. The founder says he has 15 fight cards planned for August 2025, two playoff events, and one final before the year ends. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Owen spoke about his plans and gave more details about the promotion.
“Launching in 2025, the Global Fight League seeks to redefine the business model and enhance competition in mixed martial arts.” Owen said. “Athletes and coaches will be part of an incentive and revenue-sharing plan based on league success while competing for glory and engaging with fans in cities around the world. The GFL will reimagine the business of combat sports for the 21st century.”
What shocked fans the most was the list of fighters signed to the GFL. Although no comprehensive list has been given yet, The new promotion released the fight card and it included a lot of big names in the UFC like Tyron Woodley, Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis, Junior dos Santos, Luke Rockhold, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, and Benson Henderson, who all held titles in the UFC. The list also included other promotion fighters like Marlon Moraes, Wanderlei Silva, Gegard Mousasi, Rafael Carvalho, Lance Palmer, and Will Brooks, who were champions in other major organizations such as Bellator and World Series of Fighting.
Owen says the promotion is committed to providing financial benefits and safety for the fighters. He also revealed that the promotions plan would include a 50/50 revenue share model and retirement incentives for the fighters.
“We’re funded, we’re 100-percent ready to launch,” GFL executive Darren Owen told Ariel Helwani. “Everything is in line that needed to be in line. We waited as long as we needed to wait to get to this point and now it’s time. Our funding came in last September, so since then it’s been go-time. We put everything into place and here we are.”
Currently, only the month(April) launch has been revealed. The city and venue is yet to be disclosed, but MMA fans are eager to see what the promotion has in store.
