A new MMA promotion called Global Fight League has been unveiled and it features a huge amount of aging former UFC stars, some of whom are well into their 40’s and were thought to be retired.
The new promotion was announced by it’s founder Darren Owen on The Ariel Helwani Show yesterday and revealed a twist on the usual MMA format by revealing that there will be six teams of 20 fighters (two fighters from each weight class) competing in a league-based format.
Fighters will earn four points for a finish, three for a decision victory, two for a draw, one for a loss on the scorecards and zero for being finished.
A draft will take place on January 24th to fill the teams and then the promotion will officially get underway in April.
What really jumps off the page with this new promotion however is the number of familiar names on the roster, including no less than 46 former UFC fighters.
Perhaps one of the most eyebrow-raising name at first glance is Wanderlei Silva given that he’s now 48-years-old, hasn’t fought for 6 years and has referenced having CTE symptoms in the past.
Fabricio Werdum is in there too at 47 years old, as is the 45-year-old Frank Mir, who hasn’t fought in MMA since 2019, and the 40+ list goes on and one from there, including the likes of Junior dos Santos (40), Andrei Arlovski (45), Tyron Woodley (42), Benson Henderson (41), Alan Belcher (40) and Hector Lombard (46) to name but a few.
There’s plenty of fighters in their late 30’s too, like Renan Barao (37), Alexander Gustafsson (37), Marlon Moraes (36), Gegard Mousasi (39), Anthony Pettis (37), Jeremy stephens (38), and again the list just keeps on going.
It gives the whole thing a feeling of a veteran’s fighting league in all but name, though that’s not how the owners are pitching it.
“Our new league is a logical evolution for MMA,” Owen, a former PFL exec said in a press release. “Our mission is to embrace fighters as true equitable partners from inception and, together, create a format that can be understood by any sports fan. I’ve had hundreds of conversations with MMA legends and rising stars and our business plan is an extension of what I have heard from fighters who want a new way to compete and excel in the world’s fastest growing sport.”
Check out a broader list of the fighters involved below.
A bigger list#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/Q3eonU0v4e
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 11, 2024
