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.

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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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As announced during the UFC 301 broadcast in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be inducted into the Modern Wing as part of the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

The Induction Ceremony will take place during this year’s International Fight Week in June. Shogun is already enshrined in the Hall, an honor shared with Dan Henderson. They were inducted into the Fight Wing in 2018 for their 2011 Fight of the Year.

A beaming Shogun Rua was on hand in Rio for the announcement.

“Shogun Rua is one of the greatest Brazilian athletes in combat sports history,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White in a press release issued immediately after the announcement. “Shogun had an incredible run in PRIDE and UFC, and he was fearless inside the Octagon. His fights against Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and Dan Henderson represent some of the most memorable moments in UFC history and helped put Brazilian MMA on the map. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.”

Rua retired last year with an overall record of 27-14-1. A former UFC light heavyweight champion, the man known simply as “Shogun” was also winner of the 2005 PRIDE middleweight grand prix. Known for taking on all comers, Rua fought as high as heavyweight, facing Mark Coleman under the PRIDE banner. He holds notable wins over Lyoto Machida, Alistair Overeem, Rampage Jackson, Little Nog, Chuck Liddell, and others.

Frankie Edgar, Joana Jedrzejczyk, Wanderlei Silva, and Wanderlei Silva (plus Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I) are the other 2024 UFC Hall of Fame inductees.

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For his retirement fight, the former UFC light heavyweight champ and winner of one of the biggest MMA tournaments of all time, the 2005 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix, fought Ihor Potieria, a Ukranian fighter entering his second fight in the promotion.

The violence of Shogun Rua is legendary but at the age of forty-one it was appropriate that this would be his last fight, with his last win coming back in 2020 against a fellow legend, ‘Big Nog,’ and dropping two fights in the time since. For his part, Ihor Potieria lost his UFC debut by knockout but looked to play spoiler and defeat Rua in front of his home crowd to jumpstart his career.

The start of round one saw a southpaw Potieria patiently bouncing around outside the range of Shogun. Only a few leg kicks were traded in the opening minute. Shogun then landed a big left hook that staggered Ihor. The Ukranian recovered well, though still did not press the attack much. The chants of the Brazilian crowd got so loud by the halfway point in the round that it almost drowned out the commentary booth.

A slip from Rua led to him getting blitzed and hit against the fence. Despite an ensuing welt on his right eye he did not appear hurt. The pace increased after that and Potieria hurt Shogun with a short right hand. Shogun retreated on wobbly legs but Ihor Potieria rushed him, sat him down with a flurry of strikes, and finished the job with ground strikes as Herb Dean stepped in.

The Brazilian crowd yelled their dismay, but it was the right time for Shogun to retire given his age and the damage he has taken through his career. He has accomplished things no one else in the sport has and will go down in history as a legend.

Official Result: Ihor Potieria def. Shogun Rua by TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:05

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But the next couple of weeks truly will be that for MMA, and specifically, for that loose label given to the early to mid-2000s: the Pride era.

Japan’s Pride (stylized PRIDE) dominated the MMA landscape while the UFC was still struggling to stay afloat. Among its stars (and yes, we missed plenty), the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, who is expected to fight for the final time on February 4, the Nogueira brothers, Rampage Jackson, Mirko Cro-Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, and, retiring at UFC 283 on Saturday, Shogun Rua.

Shogun’s violence is legendary; the Brazilian light heavyweight has long been the type to either finish an opponent, or go out on his shield. When he arrived in the UFC, he was already out of his prime, having fought his best years in Japan. Yet he still managed to claim light heavyweight gold in the octagon, and were it not for a young upstart named Jon Jones, who defeated Shogun in his first title defense, he may just have held it for a while.

“I wanted to have my last fight in Brazil,” Shogun (27-13-1) told media outlets in Rio de Janeiro this week. “I started out in Brazil in Meca [Meca World Vale Tudo], so I was really happy to be able to come here and see the sport grow.”

The sport has grown in leaps and bounces since Shogun first put on the gloves in 2002. PRIDE rose, then fell, eventually scooped up by its old rival, the UFC. The UFC itself became a four billion dollar enterprise, thanks in large part due to fighters like Rua, willing to engage in wars for the entertainment of the masses.

Never one to pick and choose opponents, Shogun didn’t bat an eye when told the little-known Ihor Potieria would be his final foe. “It didn’t really matter. It was going to be my last fight regardless of who it was going to be,” the Brazilian legend stated on that front.

It’s not quite Dan Henderson, but then, what is?

That attitude, frankly, is why Shogun Rua is Shogun Rua. A fighter not known by his name, but the warrior spirit he embodies. Fans don’t call Mauricio Rua by his given name, after all. He’s Shogun.

He knows he has an emotional night ahead, mind you. “It’s gonna be tough. Every fight has a lot of emotions, a lot of adrenaline and nervousness, but being the last fight and everything, I’m going to have to be focused to get through them,” he admitted. That’s not likely to change how he fights, mind you.

As for his legacy? A man with two wins over Alistair Overeem, who won the 2005 middleweight grand prix, who won the UFC light heavyweight championship, simply wants to be remembered for his love of the sport.

“When I started I never really thought of my legacy, I was just doing what I loved to do. So I can show that I did what I loved to do, and that’s what I leave behind.”

Watch the full UFC 283 media day appearance by Shogun Rua above.

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been booked opposite Dana White’s Contender Series alum Ihor Potieria at UFC 283 in January. News of the match-up was first reported by Alex Behunin.

Rua (27-13-1) has suggested for some time that his retirement was imminent, saying in 2020 that he would call it a career after two or three more fights. Last year, UFC President Dana White claimed the Brazilian legend had hung up the gloves, but Shogun returned at UFC 274, losing a close split decision opposite Ovince Saint Pruex.

Close though the fight was, the setback was the second straight loss for the 40-year old, who will turn 41 next month.

Rua remains one of the last legends of his era, having defeated the likes of Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, Akihiro Gono, Little Nog, and others under the PRIDE banner. In the UFC, he defeated Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, and in 2010 dethroned Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida to claim the promotion’s light heavyweight title.

He would lose the belt in his very next fight to a young upstart by the name of Jon Jones.

In terms of wins and losses, his latter career with the UFC was his most fruitful, as Shogun went 5-1-1 from 2015 to 2020, until hitting his recent two-fight skid.

Potieria won his way into the UFC on the 2021 edition of the Contender Series. He lost his promotional debut, however, against Nicolae Negumereanu this past July.

UFC 283 takes place on January 21, 2023 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event is the promotion’s first in the South American nation since prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The following fights have been reported for the event:

• Deiveson Figueiredo (c) vs. Brandon Moreno (ic) – for the UFC flyweight championship / title unification bout
• Mounir Lazzez vs. Gabriel Bonfim
• Josiane Nunes vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
• Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brad Tavares
• Maurício Rua vs. Ihor Potieria

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Most recently, he dabbled in boxing, and took part in a pre-pandemic scrap under the Combate Americas banner against former WWE star Alberto Del Rio (Dos Caras Jr. of PRIDE fame).

Now, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” 47, is talking about a retirement fight — back in the confines of the UFC.

Fresh off the heels of a troubled political run in his native Huntington Beach, Ortiz has told Helen Yee Sports that he’s looking to wrap up his fighting career against Shogun Rua. The Brazilian, a fellow former UFC light heavyweight champ, is widely believed to have a single fight left on his deal, after which he has stated he’ll also call it a career.

“It’s never over and I think I made that mistake with the UFC when I said I’ll never fight for the UFC ever again,” Ortiz said. “And now that I think about it, that’ll be an amazing last fight for myself and for Shogun Rua.”

“Shogun has his last fight with the UFC, we’re in kind of the same era, so it would be nice to see a Tito Ortiz vs. Shogun. I would like that.”

Ortiz added that he felt Rua won his recent rematch with Ovince St. Preux, which ended in a split decision.

“I have a lot of respect for Shogun, I think he’s an amazing former champion, an amazing fighter. I watched his last fight. I thought he won the fight, but they ended up giving it to OSP. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

Ortiz last competed in combat sports as part of a boxing spectacle under the Triller FC banner last year, going up against Anderson Silva. The match saw him knocked out early by his fellow UFC star.

On the MMA side of things, Ortiz is actually on a three-fight win streak, with wins over Del Rio, Chuck Liddell, and Chael Sonnen. It’s been a decade, however, since he competed in the UFC, where he had a heated rivalry with promotion head Dana White. UFC 148 in 2012 marked Ortiz’s final fight with the company, a decision loss against Forrest Griffin.

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For what was very possibly his penultimate outing in the UFC, Shogun Rua was running it back with Ovince Saint Preux. The light heavyweight rematch, eight years in the making, came as part of the UFC 274 main card at the Phoenix, AZ-based event on Saturday night.

A former UFC light heavyweight champ and Pride legend, Rua was looking to bounce back from a loss in another rematch, to Paul Craig. OSP had lost two straight, and was returning to light heavyweight after losing to Tanner Boser up a weight class.

It was all kicks to start the fight as both men were peppering the other’s legs. Shogun then fired in a left hook that connected. Rua continued kicking the legs of OSP and there was not much offense coming from OSP’s side. It was a very uneventful first round.

OSP was going to a front kick to the body early on in the second round as both fighters seemed reluctant to throw hands. Shogun was able to connect with a left hook not long after the start of the round. Saint Preux was hit with a right hand and didn’t send anything Shogun ate a body kick and landed a leg kick. OSP began throwing strikes near the end of the round, but the lack of urgency was concerning heading into the final round.

Saint Preux started the round with a clinch and a kick. OSP was showing more aggression in the final round, but the fight was still underwhelming in general with kicks from distance being the weapon of choice for both fighters. Saint Preux landed a left hook and a body kick. The fight came to an end to a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Ovince Saint Preux def. Shogun Rua by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

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“I thought about it because I know we haven’t fought it a while. I was like I’ll go ahead and take it. We were supposed to fight a couple years back anyway. I remember specifically that fight. Flying to Japan I got on the plane and didn’t have an opponent,” OSP told reporters on Wednesday.

With this being a rematch from their original 2014 fight you would think looking back at that bout would be something that could help in preparation for UFC 274.

“It’s pretty much pointless. People change, fighters change, your style changes over time. Me fighting eight years ago is completely different than me now,” OSP said.

Even though it’s a rematch from a bout that ended in a knockout OSP still relishes in fighting someone he looked up to before he even entered the sport.

“I told people before I was a Shogun fan before I started fighting. My first fights were watching Shogun back in Pride. Now to fight him one time, beat him, and to do it again, it’s going to be a staple,” said OSP.

OSP surprised some by taking a heavyweight bout against Tanner Boser in July 2021 where lost via KO in the third round. Heavyweight bouts, however, are no longer something OSP wants to do anymore.

“As much as I dip and dabble in the heavyweight division and what not. It’s not for me. With the heavyweight division…they hit hard. They hit hard, but also too some of the shots I give the heavyweights a lot of 205 pounders won’t be able to take it,” OSP said.

With many thinking that this may in fact be Shogun’s final bout as a professional fighter it could make this bout even more special for OSP. The light heavyweight however only had one thing to say about that.

“I guess it sucks for him.”

Ovince Saint Preux takes on Shogun Rua at UFC 274 on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out Saint Preux’s full media day scrum above. More coverage can be found below.

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“I still get nervous, as a beginner, as a debut let’s say. At the same time I’m used to dealing with it as it has been part of my career for 20 years. It’s something I’m going to carry on and treasure and remember for as long as I live,” Shogun told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

Shogun has been fighting professionally for over 20 years starting his career in 2005 and fighting in promotions such as Pride, IFC and UFC. This will be his first bout on the other side of 40-years-old.

“It’s kind of crazy because for many years in Chute Boxe they had a nickname for me. Like Young Bull, Baby Bull. Now I’m one of the oldest guys on the mat in my training so it’s kind of funny, but thank God I’m able to train well. I’m feeling good, I do good sparring so I doesn’t really affect me. I’m enjoying it,” Shogun said.

Shogun faces Ovince Saint Preux in a rematch of their 2014 bout where Rua lost via first round KO. It’s a rematch that Shogun had been offered before, but didn’t think would actually happen.

“Actually we were supposed to fight before. We did the first fight in 2014 and later UFC wanted to do the rematch. We almost fought some years ago, I think it was 2017 in Japan, but I got injured. You never know what’s going to happen. It was something that was there to happen eventually. It’s not going to take place and I’m excited,” Shogun said.

At 40-years-old and with so much wear and tear on his body it’s safe to say that Shogun’s time as an active professional fighter will likely come to an end soon.

“Yeah I already made it up my mind. I want to do two fights. This one and one last one, and then retire. That’s what I put as a goal. Hopefully, maybe who knows, I can both of them this year, and then retire in 2022. But you never know,” Shogun said.

“Either way I want to do two fights, and retire.”

Shogun Rua takes on Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 274 on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out Rua’s full media day scrum above. More coverage can be found below.

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