World Fighting League (WFL) is dead.
Global Fight League (GFL), however, is alive and well and already touting 50 famous fighters for its April 2025 launch, including former UFC champions Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior dos Santos, among others.
The website also lists some shameful additions, like UFC washout Greg Hardy and the mummified remains of Wanderlei Silva, who is 48 years old and suffering from CTE. Nothing says “MMA comeback” like baby food and adult diapers.
“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.”
GFL touts an “innovative model” that works on points with fighters competing in the regular season, followed by the semifinals and ultimately, the finals. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve already seen a similar format in Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Athletes who compete in GFL are promised a 50/50 revenue share, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, global exposure, and a fighter-centric model. That all sounds great if GFL can turn a profit, a fairly tall order in an industry dominated by UFC.
Here’s a quick summary:
The Global Fight League will launch in April 2025 ? #HelwaniShow
?6 teams
?4 continents
?MMA Draft
?300+ fighters eligible to be drafted
?120 fighters will be drafted
?20 fighters
?10 divisions (2 fighters per division)
?GFL Draft will begin in January 2025… pic.twitter.com/oD7tl4odVs— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) December 11, 2024
A city and venue for the April 2025 launch has yet to be revealed.