The Global Fight League (GFL) will hold it's first two events over consecutive nights at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on May 24th/25th, and the organization has revealed the star-studded line-up of fighters set to compete at both events.
The GFL is a team-based fight league comprised of six teams - Los Angles, New York, London, Sao Paulo, Miami and Dubai. Having announced their arrival on the mixed martial arts scene with plenty of fanfare, the organization held a draft where they announced the signings of multiple former UFC and Bellator champions (many of whom have not competed for some time).
“We are thrilled to bring this innovative, team-based format, featuring both MMA legends and rising stars, to the Shrine Auditorium in May,” GFL founder Darren Owen said in a press release. “The atmosphere of this iconic venue is perfect for our athletes and fans, who will experience an electrifying event that showcases the world-class talent of our teams.”
The May 24th event is set to be headlined by a trilogy bout between Urijah Faber (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and Renan Barao (34-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC). The pair fought twice for the UFC bantamweight title in 2012 and 2014, with Barao winning on both occassions.
The co-main event features a fourth meeting between Anthony Pettis (25-14 MMA, 11-9 UFC) and Benson Henderson (30-12 MMA, 11-3 UFC) who first met at WEC 53 back in 2010, where Pettis outpointed Henderson to become WEC lightweight champion.
Pettis went on to submit Henderson three years later to claim the UFC title, and the two fought again in 2023 at Karate Combat 53 with Pettis taking home a third win over "Smooth".
The May 25th event will be headlined by an intruiging contest between Tony Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) and Dillon Danis (2-0).
The GFL said in Monday's press release that “team names and identities” will be announced before the start of the season, and that broadcast details will be announced in April, along with a ticket on-sale date.
GFL Los Angeles, May 24
- Urijah Faber (LA) vs. Renan Barao (SP)
- Anthony Pettis (MIA) vs. Benson Henderson (LON)
- Holly Holm (NY) vs. Julia Budd (LON)
- Chad Mendes (LA) vs. Maike Linhares (SP)
- Derek Brunson (DUB) vs. Omari Akhmedov (DUB)
- Sage Northcutt (LA) vs. Lucas Martins (SP)
- Marlon Moraes (MIA) vs. Ray Borg (LA)
- Aspen Ladd (LA) vs. Alejandra Lara (SP)
- Robelis Despaigne (MIA) vs. Todd Duffee (DUB)
- Cat Zingano (MIA) vs. Alexa Conners (DUB)
- Neiman Gracie (NY) vs. Danny Roberts (LON)
- Jessica Penne (LA) vs. Joice Mara (SP)
- Charles Rosa (MIA) vs. Khumoyun Tukhtamuradov (DUB)
- Marisa Messer-Belenchia (NY) vs. Kelly Staddon (LON)
- Gleison Tibau (MIA) vs. Alex Oliveira (SP)
GFL Los Angeles, May 25
- Tony Ferguson (LA) vs. Dillon Danis (NY)
- Ovince Saint Preux (NY) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (LON)
- Uriah Hall (LA) vs. Douglas Lima (SP)
- Paige VanZant (MIA) vs. Randi Field (DUB)
- Louis Glisman (LA) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (DUB)
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (LA) vs. Viviane Pereira (SP)
- Alan Belcher (NY) vs. Stuart Austin (LON)
- Thiago Santos (MIA) vs. Devin Clark (NY)
- Lorenz Larkin (LA) vs. Carlos Petruzzella (SP)
- Jimmie Rivera (NY) vs. Cameron Else (LON)
- Natasha Kuziutina (MIA) vs. Jessica Aguilar (DUB)
- Phil Hawes (NY) vs. Grant Neal (LA)
- Kai Kamaka III (NY) vs. Mike Grundy (LON)
- Da Woon Jung (LA) vs. Ronny Markes (DUB)
- Miao Ding (NY) vs. Josefine Knutsson (LON)
