It looks like a new MMA promotion hoping to be a serious competitor to the UFC may be done before it even started.
Similar to WWE in professional wrestling, Ultimate Fighting Championship controls a huge amount of the market share in mixed martial arts. However, unlike their TKO Group Holdings sister company, they have no real competition for their fans’ interest. However, Global Fight League was hoping to change that in 2025.
The company garnered a lot of attention late last year when it began to reveal a roster filled with grey-beard UFC legends and former champions. Household names like Mauricio Rua, Fabricio Werdum, Junior dos Santos, Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi, Urijah Faber, and Luke Rockhold were announced for their launch roster.
Their team-based format even had a first-of-its-kind fighter draft earlier this year. It was the last big step of the build-up toward a two-night debut for the brand on May 24 and 25. However, a worrisome report on Wednesday night revealed both events next month had been cancelled. And it seems it could be the beginning of the end for a company that never really started.
UFC competitor GFL’s future in doubt?
“GFL has canceled its first two events, scheduled for May 24 and 25 in Los Angeles. There are serious doubts about the future of the promotion,” veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani posted on X last night.
Following the news, Global Fight League founder Darren Owen spoke to Helwani and revealed the reasons behind the cancellations and when he now hopes the promotion could make its debut.
“Working on a solution. My main investor didn’t fulfill his April obligation which has caused a problem,” Owen said. “I’ll keep you posted but I believe we will be able work through it. I think we can make it happen for June.
“Additionally I don’t foresee the event taking place in California but we absolutely will keep pushing forward. I think we’re going to have to push the dates to June 15/16. I’ll confirm asap. It’s been a frustrating week but I think there’s a solution in place.”
It is not a good sign when a promotion with an expensive roster has to cancel the launch of the brand and has no clear replacement date set. One has to wonder if fighters might start to leave the league due to trust concerns in the weeks ahead.
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