The GFL is confident that they can deliver bouts that the fans are going to want to tune in for. With the promotion set to host their first event in April, the first few weeks/months for the promotion have not been plain sailing in terms of the general reception to what they’re trying to do.
Whilst the Global Fight League is confident that their team-based format will bring a new and exciting element to MMA which will draw upon the appeal of other mainstream sports, the response from a lot of fans has been sceptical to say the least. This certainly hasn’t been helped by the names that were announced for the draft with many of the top names being fighters that are well past their peaks.
The teams are now drawn up following the draft that took place last Friday, although there is still some concerns that have been raised as to which fighters actually agreed to fighting for the GFL before being drafted. The GFL may have a distinct format but founder Darren Owen has made it clear that this won’t stop them from putting on the fights that make the most sense.
This is something that Owen spoke about during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show where he spoke about the results and reaction from the draft. Owen named several fights that we could potentially see in the promotion in the near future now that we actually know, on paper at least, who will be competing for the promotion in 2025.
One of those fights that he mentioned was a bout between a UFC legend who holds the record for the most consecutive losses in the promotion having not won a fight in his last eight outings against another big name who also hasn’t won a fight since 2019, having previously been disqualified in a boxing match with Logan Paul.
We can make the fights that people want to see, and we’re listening to everybody. Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis, that may be something that will come to fruition.
The two other matchups that Owen named were rematches between established names with Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber 3 and Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman 2 being on the table. For reference, the last encounters between these men took place 10 and 11 years ago.
