A number of veterans have their first outings under the Global Fight League (GFL) banner confirmed, and the opening matchups include a rematch between former UFC middleweight champions Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold.
After years of preparation, the GFL is set to stage events for the first time this coming April, as the promotion looks to succeed in the fight game with a team-based format and season structure. 15 cards are planned up until August, after which two playoff events and one final will take place before the year’s end.
Following the release of the six city teams, as well as a manager and head coach for each, 120 fighters were picked as part of the inaugural draft last month. And while little is known about dates and venues for the first events in April, the matchups have begun to roll out.
The official GFL social media account announced the first fight on Thursday. As expected after Luke Rockhold was traded from Team Dubai to Team Los Angeles, the Californian will run it back with Team New York's Weidman, a fellow former UFC middleweight champion.
The pair first collided way back in 2015, with Rockhold emerging victorious from the Fight of the Night at UFC 194 after stopping the then-defending champ in round four.
Rockhold, who was also the last 185-pound titleholder in Strikeforce, has competed just once in MMA since 2019. After consecutive knockout losses to Yoel Romero and Jan Błachowicz, the 40-year-old memorably bowed out of the UFC in defeat against Paulo Costa. He's since gone 1-1 away from MMA, losing to Mike Perry in BKFC and stopping Joe Schilling under the Karate Combat banner.
Weidman, meanwhile, initially appeared to announce his retirement from the sport last month but was quickly announced as the GFL's latest big-name signing. The Baldwin native has had his hand raised once in three fights since returning from a broken leg. Weidman was most recently finished by Eryk Anders at UFC 309 last November.
The rematch between Rockhold and Weidman wasn't the only confirmed first-round matchup, with the GFL also revealing a clash between Team Miami's Yoel Romero and Maurício "Shogun" Rua of Team São Paulo.
The inclusion of Rua was among many that raised concerns in the MMA community. The 43-year-old looked a shadow of his former self when he was knocked out by Ihor Potieria in January 2023. Despite the retirement that followed that fight being widely supported, the former UFC and PRIDE standout now has Romero's power to deal with.
While four years older than Rua, the game doesn't appear to have left "Soldier of God" as of yet. Since a loss in his Bellator debut, the Cuban has won three out of four fights in the cage, most recently defeating fellow former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos under the PFL banner last February.