 | |
| Sport | Mixed martial arts |
|---|---|
| Founder | |
| Owner(s) | WFL Properties, LLC[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Official website | mmagfl |
Global Fight League (GFL), originally announced as theWorld Fight League (WFL),[4][5] is an Americanmixed martial arts (MMA) league that launched in 2025.[6] Founded by Darren Owen and Arun Parimi, the league held its inaugural draft on January 24, 2025, where fighters were allocated to city-based teams.[7][8] The GFL’s fighter-centric business model is expected to include health and injury insurance, a structured retirement fund, and a 50% event-specific revenue share with the fighters.[9]
The Global Fight League (GFL), originally announced as the World Fight League (WFL), will launch in 2025. GFL was founded by Darren Owen, who serves as the league's acting commissioner, and Arun Parimi, who serves as the league's chief operating officer, with the backing of Scott Parker, who serves as the chief marketing officer, andJeffrey Pollack, who is the GFL's senior advisor.
The GFL will put on fights across ten weight-divisions, which differ fromMMA's traditional weight classes:women's atomweight (110 lbs),women's strawweight (120 lbs),women's flyweight (130 lbs),women's bantamweight (140 lbs),men's bantamweight (145 lbs),featherweight (155 lbs),lightweight (165 lbs),welterweight (180 lbs),middleweight (200 lbs),light heavyweight (225 lbs), andheavyweight (265 lbs).[10] The GFL has a 300-fighter roster where 120 athletes are assigned to six teams, composed of 20 fighters with two fighters representing each of the 10 weight classes.[10] A scoring system is set for the GFL's bouts where fighters earn four points for a finish, three for a decision win, two for a draw, one for a decision loss and zero for a defeat via finish. The points contribute to each team's total score.[9]
On December 11, 2024, it was announced that GFL had signedTyron Woodley,Fabrício Werdum,Anthony Pettis,Junior dos Santos,Luke Rockhold,Frank Mir,Andrei Arlovski,Renan Barão, andBenson Henderson – all formerUltimate Fighting Championship title holders. Other GFL signeesMarlon Moraes,Wanderlei Silva,Gegard Mousasi,Rafael Carvalho,Lance Palmer, andWill Brooks were champions in other major organizations such as thePride Fighting Championships,Bellator MMA, and theWorld Series of Fighting.[11]
On February 4, 2025, the GFL released their schedule for their inaugural season with events that will take place at the following locations and months:[12]
One city will face another at an event and fighters are expected to compete three times in six months.[12] Four of the six teams will qualify for the playoffs and fans will vote for the bout order.[12]
On March 20, 2025, journalistAriel Helwani reported that the GFL's inaugural events were being delayed from April to May, reportedly with them being scheduled to be held on May 24 and May 25 at theShrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.[13]
The inaugural GFL draft was streamed live on January 24, 2025 fromPhoenix, Arizona. Six teams will take part in the league's first season, and the teams consist of:
Notes: HW = Heavyweight ; LHW - Light Heavyweight ; MW = Middleweight ; WW = Welterweight ; LW = Lightweight ; FW = Featherweight ; BW = Bantamweight ; WBW = Women's Bantamweight ; WSW = Women's Strawweight ; WAW = Women's Atomweight.
| Event | Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFL 2 | May 25, 2025 | Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| GFL 1 | May 24, 2025 |
