The fledgling GFL (Global Fight League), featuring a team format and 50/50 revenue share with fighters, is just weeks away from its January 24 draft date — and more pieces are falling into place.
Though details of the draft and league format have yet to be officially announced (GFL officials tell Cageside Press that will all come together in the coming weeks), the promotion has confirmed that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has landed a manager spot with one of the league’s six teams.
Velasquez, who has dabbled in pro wrestling since exiting the UFC, is brining AKA coach Javier Mendez along for the ride. The heavyweight recently switched his Not Guilty plea to a No Contest in the criminal case pending against him, stemming from a shooting rampage targeting the alleged perpetrator of sexual abuse again the fighter’s son.
Per a report by MMA Junkie, Velasquez’s sentencing date is the same day as the PFL draft, January 24, 2025.
In addition to the Cain Velasquez news, the GFL has also announced an expanded talent pool of women’s fighters, posting a list of nearly 60 athletes on social media who will be eligible for this month’s draft. Among them, Paige VanZant, previously reported to be linking up with the league, as well as former Bellator champ Julia Budd, ex-Invicta champ and UFC fighter Tonya Evinger, former WSOF champ and UFC strawweight Jessica Aguilar, ex-UFC title challenger Jessica Penne, ONE Championship alum Bi Nguyen, and UFC alums Cynthia Calvillo, Tamires Vidal, Hannah Goldy, Mara Romero Borella, and Pannie Kianzad, among others.
“We’re thrilled to announce 58 extraordinary athletes that have signed with the GFL to shape the future of MMA in the first-ever co-ed, team-based league,” promotion officials wrote in a brief statement. “These athletes are ready to make history at the January 24 Draft, where they will have the opportunity to be selected by one of six teams, competing side by side with their male counterparts and sharing equal revenue – a historic first in combat-sports!”
