However, of late, there have been a few signs of life. Late last month, the promotion announced an Athlete Performance and Wellness Council featuring Tyron Woodley, Benson Henderson, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Burt Watson, and others.

And on Tuesday, the promotion introduced their next trick: revamping themselves as a publicly traded company in which fight fans could invest.

“As of today, GFL Sports & Entertainment, Inc. (OTC: $GFLE) is now publicly traded and has partnered with [Deal Maker Tech] to support our public capital raise. GFL continues to build towards our 2026 debut season,” a statement on the promotion’s official social media platforms read.

In an adjacent press release, league officials stated that “Through a collaboration with DealMaker, a registered broker-dealer and investor platform, GFL is opening a public equity raise of up to $5 million, creating a transparent structure designed to align athletes, fans, and partners through participation in the league’s long-term growth.”

Quoted in Tuesday’s press release, GFLE Executive Chairman Vince Hesser said, “The sports industry has evolved into one of the most valuable investment sectors in the world, yet public access to ownership has been limited. The Global Fight League is building a transparent structure that aligns performance, participation, and long-term value creation across athletes, fans, and investors.”

This all might be a hard sell for fans who followed along as the GFL, founded by Darren Owen (who once pitched a regional MMA promotion on investment series Dragon’s Den, Canada’s answer to Shark Tank), suffered several embarrassing setbacks. The league featured a botched “live” draft, and some big names from MMA’s past, including Shogun Rua, Urijah Faber, Benson Henderson (now making a comeback for the PFL), Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and others.

It failed to put on a single show, after reportedly losing its financial backing.

Jeffrey Pollack has joined the GFL as Senior Advisor; he’s formerly held positions with Professional Bull Riding, World Series of Poker, the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR.

“GFL is building toward a 2026 debut season, with additional details to be announced as the equity raise progresses over the next four to six months. The league plans to launch with four teams in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London, featuring a unified team structure in which men and women compete side by side as part of the same organization,” Tuesday’s release reads.

Does that mean another draft?

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Now set to make her return to boxing for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, Holm had been granted her release by the UFC, with an eye on continuing her career in the fledgling Global Fight League. Her image was prominent in a video promo the league would release, but with funding for the team-based MMA promotion falling through, Holm was left without a fighting home. Temporarily, anyway.

“I think it’s one of those things that, I don’t put all— I work hard, and if something doesn’t work out, I don’t get to where it just drags me down,” Holm (15-7, 1NC MMA, 33-2-3 boxing) told Cageside Press while promoting her June 28 boxing match with Yolanda Vega. The fight comes as part of the Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chaverz Jr. undercard. “I just look for whatever door is open, whatever opportunities are open. That’s what hard work will get you, is options.”

In other words, it was far from GFL or bust for Holly Holm after leaving the UFC, where she last competed in a losing effort against Kayla Harrison at UFC 300. “I knew that if the GFL didn’t happen, I was gonna keep working for another fight, and be able to be competitive. Boxing has kind of been in the back of my mind for a while. So to me I just feel like this was meant to be.”

And should, however unlikely it might be, the GFL actually hold an event, or another MMA opportunity come up, former UFC women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm is still game. “I’m focusing on boxing right now, but I definitely would love to still have another fight in MMA. I love both sports. I’m very passionate about fighting in general. Right now though my focus is just on boxing”

Speaking of which, it’s not quite like riding a bicycle perhaps, but Holm is getting comfortable training for a single discipline again. “I’ve been sparring in practice and there’s definitely times that I want to throw kicks, you know?” stated Holm. “It’s been fun to get back into just kinda, in boxing you can more fine tune little things and just focus on, you’re only focusing on two weapons. It’s kind of fun to get creative with it again.”

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The fledgling MMA “league” was supposed to launch in May, with dates at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles just recently announced. May 24 and 25 was to host two admittedly stacked cards, had they gone down as planned.

Those dates, however, are off. News of the cancellation was confirmed by multiple sources on Wednesday, including Fight Oracle (formerly Front Row Brian) and Ariel Helwani. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King confirmed the cancellation with the California State Athletic Commission, while GFL officials provided a brief statement to Cageside Press.

“Our main investor didn’t fund his April obligation which has caused some issues however we have a solution in place,” wrote Global Fight League Founder Darren Owen. “Likely have to postpone until June but we’ll be good. Just a bump in the road but everything moving forward.”

The GFL staged a much talked-about and poorly staged “draft” back in January, which turned out to have been pre-determined. While it might have been looked at as a bump in the road and did get people talking, the cancellation of the league’s two dates in Los Angeles next month have many suspecting the promotion is the MMA equivalent of vaporware.

Numerous legendary MMA names are linked to the company, including Yoel Romero, Tony Ferguson, Holly Holm, and Urijah Faber, all of whom were expected to compete in May.

The post GFL’s May Debut Cancelled, League Eyeing June Date appeared first on Cageside Press.

GFL 1 and GFL 2 will take place on May 24 and 25, 2025 at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. As noted by MMA Junkie and other outlets, full line-ups now appear on MMA database Tapology, listing a bevvy of match-ups featuring significant names. While those fights have not been confirmed as of yet by the GFL (outside a couple of individual bouts), promotion officials have confirmed to Cageside Press that the date and location of both events is accurate.

A formal announcement of the GFL’s debut shows is expected next week.

As it stands, names like Urijah Faber, Tony Ferguson, and Holly Holm are set to be involved. Should all go according to plan, the double-header will almost certainly be the most stacked promotional launch in MMA in years.

In additional news, GFL officials revealed to Cageside Press that former UFC light heavyweight champion and PRIDE legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been released from his contract. Shogun had been announced for a fight with Yoel Romero, only for Romero to recently reveal that the Brazilian had been forced out due to injury. Per the league, Shogun could be brought back later in the season to replace and injured or suspended fighter. For now, he’s no longer under contract.

In the meantime, the replacement bout Romero had touted, which had “The Soldier of God” taking on Gegard Mousasi, is not official as of yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but the league does not appear ready to announce it in any case.

As for the fights that are moving forward, per the Tapology listing at least, Urijah Faber’s rematch with Renan Barao looks to feature. Age aside, that fight makes all the sense in the world, especially on the west coast. Anthony Pettis meets Benson Henderson once again, while former UFC champ Holly Holm meets ex-Bellator champ Julia Budd. Those are part of GFL 1. GFL 2 sees Tony Ferguson meet Dillon Danis (assuming Danis shows up, and with a boxing match against KSI falling through due to an illness to the social media figure, he has no reason not to), while Paige VanZant gets Randi Field, and Alexander Gustafsson meets Ovince St. Preux.

The post GFL Debut Dates on May 24, 25 Confirmed, Shogun Released From Contract appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mir, one of many fighters drafted for the upstart Global Fight League earlier this year, revealed on Monday that he had underwent a spinal fusion and laminectomy, putting him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

The former UFC heavyweight champion took to social media to announce the news, stating that the surgery was a “complete success.”

“As many of you know, I’ve been dedicated to martial arts since I was just four years old. My love for hard training has driven me to push my limits as a professional athlete. However, this passion comes with its challenges,” wrote Mir alongside of a photo of his wife by his side in a hospital bed. “Recently, I faced a significant hurdle: I underwent an emergency spinal fusion and laminectomy of my entire thoracic spine. Although it was a tough decision, I’m happy to report that the surgery was a complete success!”

“Now, I’m diving into rehabilitation and focusing on my recovery. This is just another challenge that I intend to overcome, and I’m committed to coming back stronger, both mentally and physically, than ever.”

After thanking fans for their support, Frank Mir closed his statement with a quote from 2006’s Rocky Balboa. “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Mir last fought is a losing effort against Kubrat Pulev at the ill-fated Triad Combat event in November of 2021.

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“I was offered a boxing match against KSI. We were in heavy negotiations, which was awesome. I’m ready to take the f*cking fight because in MMA, we don’t get to wear shoes,” Ferguson told Ariel Helwani.

“I’m completely different boxing than in any other sport.”

Ferguson (25-11) finished his UFC run on an 8-fight losing streak. Last time he out he lost via submission to Michael Chiesa last August. He took his gloves off, but only laid one down leaving the door open for a return to fighting.

“When I left the UFC… I hate to say it, I wanted to fight another time, but even me, it’s kinda like, ‘I have to excuse myself, guys.’ But I didn’t want to leave on bad terms,” he said.

“So talking to Dana (White), talking to Hunter (Campbell), and then coming to terms with it, we all agreed that it was in our best interest for me to move on.”

According to Ferguson the offer to box against KSI was very real and very serious. So why change course to the GFL instead?

“I started thinking, okay, let me talk to my team. Talk to my dad in my corner now, and I got a couple other people that are good advisers for me. And we’re like you know what? Let’s finish up mixed martial arts. Let’s get this going, and then we can worry about boxing later,” he said.

“So it wasn’t like we said no or we haven’t said yes, but we started focusing more towards MMA.”

As of now Ferguson is scheduled to face Dillon Danis.

The post Tony Ferguson Chose GFL Over Influencer Boxing Match appeared first on Cageside Press.

As first reported by MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, Urijah Faber (35-11) is set to face off against Renan Barao (36-10, 1NC) for a third time. GFL officials later announced the match-up, which does not have a location or date as of yet.

Faber represents Team Los Angeles, and Barao Team Sao Paulo, in the GFL’s league-based format, which is expected to launch this Spring.

A former UFC title challenger and WEC featherweight champ, Faber has long been considered one of the best fighters to never win gold inside the UFC octagon. He faced Barao twice during their respective UFC runs, losing to the Brazilian in 2012 (for an interim bantamweight title) and then again in 2014 (for the undisputed title). “The California Kid,” now a middle-aged man at 45, has not fought since a 2019 loss against Petr Yan. Prior to that, he had ended a three-year retirement by defeating Ricky Simon.

Unlike Faber, Barao (who held gold from his 2012 interim title win to a May 2014 loss against T.J. Dillashaw) struggled immensely towards the end of his UFC run. He lost his final five fights in the company, then dropped a sixth on the regional circuit in 2023. Barao has not competed since.

In comparison to Urijah Faber at 45, Renan Barao is all but a spring chicken at 38 years young.

The post Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao 3 Match-Up Booked by GFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, a day following the announcement of their first three “confirmed” match-ups (all without dates or locations attached), GFL officials revealed on social media that Frank Mir vs. Fabricio Werdum is scheduled to happen.

As with the league’s previous announcements including Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold 2, no date or location has been attached. However, reaction was not all that positive to the most recent announcement, especially given the age of the fighters in question.

Frank Mir is 45, and has been through wars and injuries. Fabricio Werdum is 47, and not the kind of freak, father-time defying 47 that Yoel Romero is. Over 90 years of life experience between them.

“The combined age of these fighters is 92 years old,” one fight fan said in response on Twitter/X, complete with face-palm emoji.

Former UFC heavyweight champ Mir has not competed in MMA since a 2019 decision win over Roy Nelson that somehow left Nelson looking like the more viable fighter (Big Country went on to a 1-1 record in Gamebred Bareknuckle FC in 2023). Mir on the other hand opted to try his hand in boxing, then the short-lived spectacle that was “Triad Combat,” losing both outings.

Aside from the Nelson win, Mir has lost his four fights in MMA and was finished in three of them.

Fabricio Werdum (24-10-1, 1NC) last competed for the aforementioned Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, losing a rematch with former UFC foe Junior Dos Santos in 2023. The Brazilian defeated Alexander Gustafsson in 2020 in “Vai Cavalo’s” final UFC fight, then had a fight in the PFL, where he was defeated by Renan Ferreira – until it was determined that Ferreira had tapped to a Werdum triangle choke shortly before the TKO “finish.” The result was later overturned to a No Contest.

Like Mir, Werdum is a former UFC heavyweight champ, winning gold in 2015 by defeating Cain Velasquez.

The post Over Ninety Years of Experience: Frank Mir vs. Fabricio Werdum Announced by GFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

GFL officials announced the booking via social media, though no date, location, or venue for the fight have been revealed. While the league is expected to launch in April, in an appearance on The Fighter and the Kid podcast on that was posted on Thursday, founder Darren Owen clarified that late April or early May could be in play.

Uriah Hall (17-11) has dabbled in boxing since exiting the UFC in July of 2022, going 1-1 in the sweet science. That run included a win over former NFL’er Le’Veon Bell, and a loss to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The Lima match-up will mark his return to the cage.

Douglas Lima (33-12) was last seen fighting in a losing effort against Canada’s Aaron Jeffery, under the Bellator Champions Series banner in September. Bellator, purchased by rival PFL over a year ago now, has now ceased operation as a separate brand, with fighters either competing in the PFL, or released.

Lima has just a single win since 2019, a decision against Costello van Steenis. Despite his best days coming at welterweight, he’s no stranger to 185lbs, having fought Gegard Mousasi for Bellator’s middleweight crown in 2020. The van Steenis and Jeffery fights also took place in the middleweight division.

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A team-based “league” (all teams being owned and operated by the promotion), the GFL is expected to launch in April, with New York vs. Los Angeles being the first card on deck. On Thursday, promotion officials began announcing the first match-ups, with two revealed: a middleweight rematch between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold, dating back to their UFC title fight, and at light heavyweight, ex-UFC champ and PRIDE legend Shogun Rua facing Yoel Romero.

🚨 We’ve got our second official matchup! 🚨
Team Miami’s @YoelRomeroMMA takes on Team São Paulo’s @ShogunRua in a Light Heavyweight clash! pic.twitter.com/WQromnLJFl

— Global Fight League (@mmagfl) February 13, 2025

No exact date or venue has been announced for the April GFL card, which was previously announced as taking place in Los Angeles. With the match-ups announced including Shogun (Team Brazil) and Romero (Team Miami), as well as Weidman (New York) versus Rockhold (Los Angeles), it’s also unclear whether both will be placed on the April show, or saved for later in the GFL season.

Lots of question, few answers. Still, the fights make sense from both a promotional and matchmaking perspective: all involve older fighters, none can really be seen as a mismatch, but all are marquee names. After Luke Rockhold defeated Chris Weidman to claim middleweight gold at UFC 194 in 2015, a rematch was scheduled, only for “The All-American” to pull out of the fight. Michael Bisping stepped in on short notice, and shocked fans by knocking the champ out inside of a round.

Rockhold vs. Weidman 2 never came to fruition. Luke Rockhold has won just a single fight in MMA since, against David Branch in 2017. He did defeat kickboxer turned mixed martial artist at Karate Kombat 45 last April.

Weidman stuck with the UFC all the way to the end of 2024, but suffered a horrific broken leg in a fight with Uriah Hall in 2021 that put him on the shelf for two years.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua retired in 2023 after losing three straight under the UFC banner. His opponent, Yoel Romero, is the only fighter among the four names announced to find any real success in MMA in recent years. He’s 3-1 in his last four fights, with the lone loss coming against Vadim Nemkov in a Bellator light heavyweight title fight.

GFL founder Darren Owen appeared on The Fighter and the Kid podcast to promote the new league, with that episode dropping on Thursday in conjunction with the fight announcements.

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