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Everything You Need to Know About Global Fight League’s First-Ever Live Draft

Everything You Need to Know About Global Fight League's First-Ever Live Draft It’s been a long and winding road for the Global Fight League, but the promotion is just hours away…

It’s been a long and winding road for the Global Fight League, but the promotion is just hours away from its first-ever live virtual draft.

Emanating from Van Wagner Studios in Phoenix, Arizona, the GFL draft on Friday, January 24 will feature hundreds of mixed martial arts, including a slew of ex-UFC champions like Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Benson Henderson, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Luke Rockhold, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Andrei Arlovski.

Also signed to the promotion are former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, ‘Motown Phenom’ Kevin Lee, Ovince Saint Preaux, Gegard Mousasi, Hector Lombard, Uriah Hall, Jeremy Stephens, Chad Mendes, and Kai Kamaka.

The GFL draft will air live on their official platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. The event will also be available through DAZN, PPV.com, TrillerTV, and Rumble with festivities scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).

GFL founder Darren Owen, Karate Combat’s Robin Black, TNT Sports reporter Caroline Pearce, CJI roaming reporter Alex Wendling, former UFC play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg, and former UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub will all be on hand to break down the draft as it happens.

Global Fight League will feature six teams with 20 fighters per roster

Over 420 athletes from 67 countries will be in the draft, competing for 120 coveted roster spots to enter the 2025 season. The roster spots are divided into six inaugural ‘city’ teams: Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and São Paulo. Each team will have both a manager and a coach.

Dubai is managed by Cain Velasquez and coached by Javier Mendez.
London is managed by Luke Barnatt and coached by Carl Prince.
Los Angeles is managed by Wanderlei Silva and coached by Rafael Cordeiro.
Miami is managed by Thiago Alves and coached by Conan Silveira.
New York is coached by Ray Longo with a manager TBA (rumored to be Chris Weidman).
Sao Paulo is managed by Lyoto Machida and coached by Andre Pederneiras.

Among the athletes on the GLF roster are women representing 16 different countries.

“We are proud to be the first professional sports organization where men and women compete on the same teams and share revenue streams equally,” GFL founder and commissioner Darren Owen said in a news release. “The incredible drawing power, athleticism, and competitiveness of the world’s best female fighters will be pivotal to our success. This groundbreaking approach represents a new era for MMA, where male and female athletes share equally in the league’s achievements.”

Women eligible for Friday’s draft include former UFC fighter turned BKFC brawler Paige VanZant, Julia Budd, Evelyn Martins, Tonya Evinger, Pannie Kianzad, Bi Nguyen, Hannah Goldy, Jessica Penne, Kayla Hracho, and Jessica Aguilar.

Get more info on the athletes of the Global Fight League right here.

Former Bellator Champion Patricky Pitbull Signs with the GFL

Global Fight League continued to bolster its roster on Wednesday by adding former Bellator MMA lightweight titleholder Patricky Pitbull….

Global Fight League continued to bolster its roster on Wednesday by adding former Bellator MMA lightweight titleholder Patricky Pitbull.

Pitbull confirmed the signing on social media, revealing that he had been released from his previous employer, the Professional Fighters League, by request. MMA Fighting was the first to report the news.

“Today I turn 39 years old and I have a lot to be thankful for,” he wrote on X. “It’s symbolic for me as I decided to start a new chapter in my career. Per my request, I was released from PFL MMA. Thank you for the memories Stay tuned for my next fight news.”

“Former Bellator MMA Lightweight Champion, most wins in the Lightweight division, and most KOs in company history. I’ll never forget all the amazing moments I had with the organization. And a couple of fun fights on PFL MMA. I’m excited for what will be coming next.”

The world waits to find out where Patricio pitbull will end up after PFL release

Patricky’s brother, Patricio Pitbull, 37, was also granted his outright release, but he has not yet signed elsewhere, but the the former Bellator champ-champ is hoping to find himself fighting in the Octagon before long. Dana White expressed uncertainty when asked bout potentially signing the younger Pitbull to a contract.

However, the UFC boss was undeniably interested in bringing free agent Aaron Pico on board.

GFL will host its first-ever live virtual draft on Friday, January 24 from Van Wagner Studios in Phoenix, Arizona. Over 420 athletes from 67 countries will be in the draft, competing for 120 coveted roster spots to enter the 2025 season which is scheduled to kick off in April.

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Global Fight League Announces Cities & Team Managers For Launch Year, “Shogun” Rua & Yoel Romero Among Latest Signings

The Global Fight League (GFL) has revealed a range of crucial updates about how the structure of the budding MMA organization will look. The newly launched promotion has already secured an array of over 300 fighters, including several high-profile former stars from renowned organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. The GFL is said […]

The Global Fight League (GFL) has revealed a range of crucial updates about how the structure of the budding MMA organization will look.

The newly launched promotion has already secured an array of over 300 fighters, including several high-profile former stars from renowned organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. The GFL is said to make its highly anticipated debut this April, with the precise commencement date yet to be revealed.

The GFL introduces an innovative team-based format, featuring six teams from cities around the world competing in a league structure that includes playoffs. The first draft is scheduled for Jan. 24.

The GFL disclosed the latest draft entrants in a recent press release, as well as the cities that will represent each team and the managers and coaches set to lead them.

The new draft pool features notable names such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Yoel Romero, Chad Mendes, Renan Barao, Douglas Lima, Ovince Saint Preux and Todd Duffee. Meanwhile, the six teams will represent some of the world’s most iconic cities: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, São Paulo, London and Dubai.

Here’s a look at the managers and coaches appointed to lead the six teams in the GFL:

Los Angeles: UFC Hall of Famer Wanderlei Silva has been named the manager of Team Los Angeles, with the renowned Rafael Cordeiro stepping in as the head coach.

Miami: Thiago Alves will manage Team Miami, with Conan Silveira as the head coach.

New York: The manager for Team New York is still to be announced, with the team set to be coached by the famed Ray Longo.

São Paulo: Team São Paulo will be led by Brazil’s own former UFC champion Lyoto Machida as manager, with the legendary Andre Pederneiras as the team’s coach.

London: UFC veteran Luke Barnatt will take the reins as manager, while Carl Prince of Manchester Top Team will serve as the head coach for Team London.

Dubai: Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will lead Team Dubai as manager, with Javier Mendez from the American Kickboxing Academy stepping in as the team’s head coach.

GFL announced the host cities and coaches for the inaugural season that's supposed to launch in April along with new fighter signings including:

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Yoel Romero
Chad Mendes
Renan Barao
Douglas Lima
Ovince Saint Preux
Todd Duffee pic.twitter.com/B6oIpo7sbb

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) January 16, 2025

Darren Owen, the company’s co-founder, has outlined an array of unique benefits tailored to prioritize fighters’ welfare.

These include comprehensive training support, insurance coverage, a 50-50 revenue-sharing model, pension plans, and various other perks aimed at ensuring financial stability and fostering long-term professional well-being for the athletes.

The promotion has, however, come under fire for signing a number of aging veterans for the upcoming draft, including Frank Mir, Marlon Moraes, and Tyron Woodley.

Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

The Global Fight League, or GFL, have announced a huge amount of names who will be eligible for the promotion’s upcoming draft this month. GFL is set to host its first event around April where the team-based season format will kick off once fighters have been selected by their chosen teams. Many of the names […]

Many of the names on the current roster, particularly on the men’s side, are former UFC fighters who will add a certain amount of name value to the promotion from the very start. Amongst them is former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee who recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to go into more detail about the promotion and his initial impressions of working with them.

Lee spoke during the interview about other names that could be joining him in the promotion who could be potential opponents for him at some stage. He specifically mentioned a former opponent of his who has been on a difficult run inside the Octagon as of late.

One of the criticisms of the GFL thus far has been the amount of fighters on the roster who are perceived to be over the hill or in some cases, already at the end of their careers. That would also be the narrative surrounding Tony Ferguson whose name still carries a degree of weight despite the fact that he has lost his last eight fights in a row which is a record for the MMA leader.

It appeared following his last defeat against Michael Chiesa that “El Cucuy” had one foot in retirement after he took off one of his gloves inside the cage before he later confirmed that he isn’t done yet. During his losing streak, Dana White has repeatedly made it clear that he hopes Ferguson retires with his 41st birthday being just around the corner.

However, according to what Lee has heard, it looks like Ferguson could be beginning a new chapter rather than closing the book for good.

“I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around, the one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson,” Lee told Helwani. “He’s had his ups and downs in his career but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship and I think that’s something that a lot of people can get behind and that’s a fight that I really, really want. He’s in talks with them.”

Cain Velasquez Signs As Global Fight League Team Manager Weeks Before Sentencing For Attempted Murder Charge

Cain Velasquez is now set to channel his fighting spirit into a managerial role with one of the newest MMA organizations on the scene. On Friday, the Global Fight League (GFL) revealed in an official statement that former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez has signed on with the promotion as a team manager. Accompanying him in […]

Cain Velasquez is now set to channel his fighting spirit into a managerial role with one of the newest MMA organizations on the scene.

On Friday, the Global Fight League (GFL) revealed in an official statement that former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez has signed on with the promotion as a team manager. Accompanying him in this venture is his trusted associate, the esteemed American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez, who will take on the role of head coach for Velasquez’s team.

This announcement comes at a pivotal moment, as Velasquez is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 24 for sentencing related to attempted murder charges. In August 2024, he entered a no-contest plea in a California court to charges including felony attempted murder, assault, and multiple weapons-related offenses arising from a February 2022 altercation.

The 42-year-old Californian is facing allegations of firing several shots at Harry Goularte, who was allegedly involved in molesting Velasquez’s then-four-year-old son. In the chaos of the high-speed pursuit, Velasquez struck Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, instead.

Velasquez was arrested without resistance by local authorities and, due to the severity of the charges, spent eight months in incarceration. He was eventually granted bail in November 2022, set at a $1 million bond.

GFL is set to make its debut in April, though the exact date remains under wraps. Unlike traditional formats, GFL introduces a league-based structure with playoffs, offering a fresh approach by incorporating a team-oriented format, unlike the PFL’s individual-centric model.

The promotion has already signed an impressive roster of over 300 fighters, many of whom are well-known names from major organizations like the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. Notable fighters such as Paige VanZant, Tyron Woodley, Luke Rockhold, and other prominent figures will headline the action.