Tag: News

Former UFC Champion Rashad Evans Claims He Was Drafted By The GFL Without His ‘Consent’

If you thought things with the Global Fight League (GFL) were a circus after the draft, things took even more of a turn on Jan. 25 thanks to a claim on social media made by Rashad Evans. Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was announced by the promotion to have been drafted to the […]

If you thought things with the Global Fight League (GFL) were a circus after the draft, things took even more of a turn on Jan. 25 thanks to a claim on social media made by Rashad Evans.

Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was announced by the promotion to have been drafted to the GFL team based in Los Angeles as one of its two light heavyweight competitors, with the other being Da Woon Jung.

This caught the attention of another legendary former champion in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — a longtime rival of Evans’. The two have been pegged to reignite their rivalry with a boxing bout in April, with “Suga” confirming those plans in November.

Jackson, via social media, asked how it was possible for Evans to be drafted by the promotion due to their booked bout.

Well, according to Evans, he never agreed to be part of such a draft.

If Evans’ claim is true, this is the latest in a series of confusing moves and criticism the promotion is already facing before an event is even scheduled.

The GFL came under fire for several reasons in regard to its draft, from a stream for such an event not being set up until the day of, to the pacing of the draft broadcast, to the AI-created introduction video and content.

There’s also the fact that the full teams were released in full after the fifth round, despite the promotion’s claim that this was to be a “live” draft.

This news also brings speculation on fighters actually having signed with the promotion into question. Examples of this include Tony Ferguson signing with the GFL despite the UFC having not formally released him, as well as the promotion claiming to have signed Kenny Mokhonoana, who then fought on the PFL Champions Series card the day after the GFL Draft.

MMA Fighter Jailed For Years After Abusing Partner Who Initially Put His Aggression Down To Weight Cut

A 32-year old Latvian MMA fighter has been jailed for five and a half years after pleading guilty to multiple offences regarding the abuse of his former partner. Dundalk Circuit Court in Ireland and Judge Dara Hayes sentenced the unnamed individual after hearing how he continuously committed violent and threatening acts before being handed an […]

A 32-year old Latvian MMA fighter has been jailed for five and a half years after pleading guilty to multiple offences regarding the abuse of his former partner. Dundalk Circuit Court in Ireland and Judge Dara Hayes sentenced the unnamed individual after hearing how he continuously committed violent and threatening acts before being handed an imposed sentence of six years in total which will be backdated to January of 2023.

The man had no previous convictions to his name but his actions certainly became increasingly serious over a short period of time with his partner blaming his temperament on his weight cut for an upcoming fight at one stage. In total, he plead guilty to serious assault, coercive control, criminal damage, theft and animal cruelty.

One of the first instances came from when he kicked his partner’s dog across the room after it urinated on the floor and when his partner looked to protect the dog, he kicked her hand which broke a finger on her left hand. This appears to be the start of a downward spiral that only gets more violent from this point.

He later physically assaulted the woman by choking her and kicking her before doing the same less than two weeks later, punching her arms and legs in her own apartment. Several weeks after that, he attempted to stab his former partner with a wife only to break her car keys in half, steal her phone and punch her in the face just three days later when the women met him in a public car park to try and give him back some of his possessions.

Once again, the violence and control continued from this point on after the woman let the man back into her life after she fell pregnant. The man physically and verbally abused her and when the victim suffered a miscarriage, the case was investigated under a breach of a safety order where Irish gardaí found the man attempting to hide under the victim’s bed.

He was released on bail only to break into her apartment where he allegedly told the victim “I can kill you now and the guards cannot protect you”. The defendant claimed that after serving his sentence and being released from prison, he intends on returning to his home country of Latvia.

MMA Fighter Jailed For Years After Abusing Partner Who Initially Put His Aggression Down To Weight Cut

A 32-year old Latvian MMA fighter has been jailed for five and a half years after pleading guilty to multiple offences regarding the abuse of his former partner. Dundalk Circuit Court in Ireland and Judge Dara Hayes sentenced the unnamed individual after hearing how he continuously committed violent and threatening acts before being handed an […]

A 32-year old Latvian MMA fighter has been jailed for five and a half years after pleading guilty to multiple offences regarding the abuse of his former partner. Dundalk Circuit Court in Ireland and Judge Dara Hayes sentenced the unnamed individual after hearing how he continuously committed violent and threatening acts before being handed an imposed sentence of six years in total which will be backdated to January of 2023.

The man had no previous convictions to his name but his actions certainly became increasingly serious over a short period of time with his partner blaming his temperament on his weight cut for an upcoming fight at one stage. In total, he plead guilty to serious assault, coercive control, criminal damage, theft and animal cruelty.

One of the first instances came from when he kicked his partner’s dog across the room after it urinated on the floor and when his partner looked to protect the dog, he kicked her hand which broke a finger on her left hand. This appears to be the start of a downward spiral that only gets more violent from this point.

He later physically assaulted the woman by choking her and kicking her before doing the same less than two weeks later, punching her arms and legs in her own apartment. Several weeks after that, he attempted to stab his former partner with a wife only to break her car keys in half, steal her phone and punch her in the face just three days later when the women met him in a public car park to try and give him back some of his possessions.

Once again, the violence and control continued from this point on after the woman let the man back into her life after she fell pregnant. The man physically and verbally abused her and when the victim suffered a miscarriage, the case was investigated under a breach of a safety order where Irish gardaí found the man attempting to hide under the victim’s bed.

He was released on bail only to break into her apartment where he allegedly told the victim “I can kill you now and the guards cannot protect you”. The defendant claimed that after serving his sentence and being released from prison, he intends on returning to his home country of Latvia.

Estonian Hitman Sentenced For Murder Of Former MMA Fighter & K-1 Kickboxer

An Estonian hitman has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the murder of a Lithuanian MMA fighter and the attempted murder of one other individual. Imre Arakas was sentenced in a Lithuanian court on Monday after the 66-year old initially pleaded guilty last September. Arakas, who is nicknamed “The Butcher”, […]

An Estonian hitman has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the murder of a Lithuanian MMA fighter and the attempted murder of one other individual. Imre Arakas was sentenced in a Lithuanian court on Monday after the 66-year old initially pleaded guilty last September.

Arakas, who is nicknamed “The Butcher”, claimed that he was offered €50,000 by an associate of his, Tomas Helinas, on behalf of two other man to kill 34-year old Remigijus Morkevi?ius. After failing at the first attempt as Morkevi?ius got away due to the gun jamming, he was later shot seven times with an assault rifle outside of his home address in Kaunas.

Morkevi?ius was a former MMA and kickboxing competitor who last fought in 2010 with many of his bouts coming under the Japanese K-1 or ZST banners. Prosecutor Zdzislav Tulisevski said that the man that hired Arakas only paid him 5,000 euros in total.

Arakas also claims that he was offered €25,000 to murder Gija Zabachidze, also by Helinas.He attempted to murder Zabachidze but he survived and appeared in court to testify as a witness, leading the court to sentence Arakas for both murder and attempted murder.

Arakas was also found to be in illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Compensation was awarded to both victims with Arakas expressing sorrow and regret for his actions. His sentence is set to be backdated to the original date of when he was taken into custody and whilst he will likely serve his sentence in Lithuania under the prosecutors own comments, there could be an option for him to be transferred to Estonia if the defendant requests it.

‘F*ck them!’ – Ji?í Procházka Reacts To UFC 311 Commentary Team Mentioning His Hands-Down Style

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka wasn’t pleased to be told of one topic that came up during the broadcast of his recent victory. Procházka was among the biggest winners to emerge from Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view in Inglewood, California, where he got the better of a fellow ex-titleholder in Jamahal Hill to reignite […]

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka wasn’t pleased to be told of one topic that came up during the broadcast of his recent victory.

Procházka was among the biggest winners to emerge from Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view in Inglewood, California, where he got the better of a fellow ex-titleholder in Jamahal Hill to reignite his hopes of a second title reign.

The Czech fan favorite had his hand raised in an entertaining affair, following up multiple knockdowns with a fight-ending flurry toward the end of the third and final round.

During and after the bout, “BJP” was widely praised for seemingly displaying an improved defensive game, especially in regards to his head movement.

But during his post-fight press conference, Procházka was still unhappy to hear of the same concerns being raised by the broadcast team when it comes to one element of his approach — keeping his hands down.

“F*ck them. I worked on that so much,” Procházka said. “(People) messaged me every day, ‘You have to keep your hands up.’ So OK, I will do that for this fight. I will keep the hands up, especially for this night.

“(I keep my hand down because) I believe in my senses. I believe in my feeling in a fight – in my head movement. That’s why I can keep the hands down,” Procházka continued. “To be honest, in the last fight with Alex (Pereira), I was a little bit too hands down. So this is something I’ve worked on. I want to see the video from the fight (against Hill), because I believe that I (kept my hands up).”

With such a style being widely branded counter-productive in his two efforts opposite Alex Pereira, perhaps Procházka will plan on putting even more emphasis on staying defensively responsible should his wish to meet “Poatan” for a third time come to fruition down the line.

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.

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.