The newly created World Struggle League (GFL) has introduced a prolonged record of signings forward of its launch in 2025, together with a number of former champions from the UFC and different organizations.
After years of preparation, the GFL is ready to stage occasions for the primary time subsequent April, because the promotion appears to be like to achieve the battle recreation with a team-based format and season construction.
15 playing cards are deliberate up till August, after which two playoff occasions and one remaining will happen earlier than the 12 months’s finish. GFL founder Darren Owen outlined that and extra throughout an look on Wednesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Present on Uncrowned.
Maybe most notably, he revealed a few of the main names who’ve put pen to paper on offers with the GFL and will likely be within the combine for the inaugural draft on Jan. 24, when six metropolis groups will choose 20 fighters (two in every of the ten divisions) from a pool of 300 athletes.
Amongst them are former UFC champions Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley, Fabrício Werdum, Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, and Renan Barão, along with high-profile veterans like Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi, Aleksei Oleinik, Kevin Lee, Thiago Santos, Jeremy Stephens, Hector Lombard and Jimmie Rivera.
48-year-old legend Wanderlei Silva’s inclusion marks one among many considerations highlighted by the MMA group. This 12 months, “The Axe Assassin” and 47-year-old Werdum each cited irreversible mind harm of their statements for the now-settled antitrust lawsuit in opposition to the UFC.
Elsewhere, numerous different comebacks have raised skeptical eyebrows, together with the newest return from retirement for ex-WSOF champ Marlon Moraes, who most not too long ago hung up the gloves after a short stint within the PFL prolonged his dropping skid to seven straight fights.
For the total record of names confirmed by Owen and people on the GFL web site, see beneath:
Heavyweight (265lbs)
Alan Belcher (18-8)
Aleksandr Maslov (11-1)
Aleksei Oleinik (61-18-1)
Andrei Arlovski (34-24)
Fabrício Werdum (24-9)
Frank Mir (16-11)
Greg Hardy (7-5)
Guto Inocente (11-6)*
Junior dos Santos (21-10)
Oli Thompson (18-9)
Philipe Lins (18-5)
Robelis Despaigne (5-2)
Roggers Souza (15-8)
Stuart Austin (18-9)
Tanner Boser (21-10)
Gentle Heavyweight (225lbs)
Alexander Gustafsson (18-8)
Cleiton Silva (16-4)
Emiliano Sordi (23-10)
Ilir Latifi (16-9, 1 NC)*
Rafael Carvalho (17-8)
Thiago Santos (22-13, 1 NC)*
Middleweight (200lbs)
Gegard Mousasi (49-9)
Chauncey Foxworth (19-10)
Glaico Franca (23-8)
Hector Lombard (34-10)
Jozef Wittner (16-4)
Kyle Daukaus (15-4)
Luke Rockhold (16-6)
Markus Perez (14-6)
Phil Hawes (15-4)
Wanderlei Silva (35-14)
Welterweight (180lbs)
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-4)
Austin Tweedy (11-4)
Benson Henderson (30-12)
Dominick Meriweather (8-1)
Francisco Trinaldo (32-14)
Jordan Mein (31-14)
Julio Spadaccini (8-3)
Michael Irizarry (14-5)
Rousimar Palhares (19-11-1)
Ruan Machado (7-2)
Tyron Woodley (19-7)
Light-weight (165lbs)
Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev (11-4)
Anthony Pettis (25-14)
Ayinda Octave (5-0)
Ayton De Paepe (12-4)
Charles Rosa (14-8)
Feruz Usmonov (4-1)
Gabriel Souza Galindo (9-1)*
Jefferson Pontes (6-1)
Jeremy Stephens (29-21)
John Makdessi (18-9)
Kevin Lee (20-8)
Killys motta (15-4)
Lucas Martins (22-7)
Mohamed Tarek Mohey (9-4)
Oscar Ownsworth (8-3)
Raimundo Batista (18-3)
Sidney Outlaw (19-6)
Stephen Beaumont (11-3)
Will Brooks (26-5)
William Lima (6-3)
Yan Cabral (15-3)
Featherweight (155lbs)
Alexsandro Cangaty (10-4)
Andre Harrison (22-3-1)
Claudeci Brito (11-4)
Deberson Batista (12-4)
Lance Palmer (22-5)
Lucas Martins (22-7)*
Marcel Adur (16-5)
Marcelo Dias (14-6)
Marlon Moraes (23-13)
Patrizio de Souza (18-6)
Renan Oliveira (11-2)
Bantamweight (145lbs)
Andre Soukhamthath (14-10)*
Andre Harrison (22-3-1)*
Bubba Jenkins (21-9)*
Cameron Else (11-6)*
Denis Palancica (10-1)
Diego Teixeira (7-4)
Jimmie Rivera (23-5)
Marciano Ferreira (13-3)
Omar Arteaga (11-1)
Pedro Carvalho (13-10)*
Renan Barão (34-0)
Girls’s Bantamweight (140lbs)
Alexa Conners (8-5)
Kalindra Faria (19-10-1)
Pannie Kianzad (16-9)
Tonya Evinger (19-8-1)
Girls’s Flyweight (130lbs)
Chiara Penco (9-5)
Karolina Owczarz (5-3)*
Miao Ding (18-8)
Girls’s Strawweight (120lbs)
Bi Nguyen (6-9)
Silvania Monteiro (11-4)
*Fighter’s weight class for the 2025 draft not but disclosed on the GFL web site
Whereas the possibilities of a team-based format succeeding in MMA have been doubted by loads of analysts within the media area, Owen defined to Helwani why he’s assured of it working.
“We’re in a position to create distinctive storylines which have by no means existed within the sport,” Owen stated. “That’s one factor we hold listening to. Everybody loves the game of MMA however the storylines are sometimes not there. What this brings is the speaking factors, the, ‘OK, are these two fighters going to be teammates or are they going to be probably combating?’ And totally different methods that are available, totally different betting parts that are available.
“The No. 1 driver in sports activities fandom confirmed is cheering to your favourite workforce. Favourite groups have by no means actually existed within the sport of MMA. So we’re simply creating what already exists and also you see it throughout all the most important skilled leagues on this planet, and that is simply the implementation of that team-based league mannequin for the third hottest sport on this planet.”
Fighter contracts with the GFL will likely be unique and embrace a uncommon 50/50 income cut up. The promotion can also be promising to contribute eight p.c of every athlete’s purse right into a retirement fund and two towards insurance coverage.
“No matter income we obtain, whether or not it’s media rights offers, sponsorships, ticket gross sales, all of that, 50% goes into the fighter income pool from that particular occasion after which these fighters which are on that occasion are those who share in that income proportion.
“Athletes receives a commission both or — no matter is larger — their assured quantity or their income share proportion. So somebody might need a $50,000 assured purse and so they earn 1% income share, but when there’s $10 million in that income pool for that occasion, then they’re going to obtain $100,000 as an alternative of what they had been pondering was $50,000.”
Lots seemingly nonetheless wants to return collectively earlier than the GFL’s launch in 2025, together with a broadcast deal earlier than occasions are staged in April.
Owen confirmed talks are set to happen concerning that in January, and if no settlement is made with an out of doors entity, he instructed Helwani the group is ready to create its personal platform to stream on.
