The forming of the Global Fight League

It’s no secret that since the UFC’s rise to one of the worlds fastest growing sports, there have been multiple attempts to try to replicate what Dana White has created. Who is next up to try to topple Dana’s empire? That would be Darren Owen, co-founder of the Global Fight League (GFL). This year, it was announced that the GFL would officially be formed and kick off their inaugural season in April of 2025. This isn’t another run of the mill carbon copy of the UFC, Darren has a vision to completely reimagine the sport of MMA.

It was announced that in January 2025, there would be a draft… Yes, a draft for an MMA organization. Currently there are 300+ free agents fighters, and six teams will draft two fighters across ten different weight divisions. Similarly to everything else, the weight divisions will not be in the traditional format. Every weight division is ten pounds higher than the usual format. In total there will be 120 fighters at any time signed to one of the six teams across their footprint for the season. 

Another unique selling proposition that Darren and his team came up with to entice fighters to fight for their organization is the benefits. The fighter centric mindset is resulting in health/injury insurance, a retirement fund, and a staggering 50/50 profit share between the fighters and the organization. This historically rare profit split has enabled them to sign fighters such as Anthony Pettis, Charles Rosa, Tyron Woodley, and Fabricio Werdum to face the franchise in their first and most important season as an organization. Everything in the preliminary stages sounds promising, but time will tell if a new player in the MMA game will be here to stay. 

Liam Crowley

DiSportsPhotoAgency

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