It’s unclear if GFL will ever hold its first-ever event and use its 160-fighter roster. How did we get here?
Is it too early to declare the death of the Global Fight League (GFL)?
Technically speaking, yes. While all signs point toward the upstart MMA promotion never actually starting up, top names within the company insist that everything’s going to be okay — like the band that continued to play as the Titanic slowly plunged into the North Atlantic Ocean.
On Wednesday, some big news broke: The GFL cancelled their 31-fight doubleheader set for next month in Los Angeles. Yes, the fight card that didn’t have any broadcast details and no official ticket sales fell through. This wasn’t a shocker to some.
The reason for the event’s cancellation, per founder Darren Owen, was that the promotion’s main investor didn’t follow through with their April commitments. This person, whom GFL has never publicly identified, can seemingly make-or-break this promotion, and they’re allegedly not ponying up the money? That’s just a little concerning.
GFL originally delayed their debut from April to May. Then, after claiming their ducks were finally in a row, an incredibly busy two-night lineup set for the Shrine Auditorium got cancelled. Now, who knows when the league will host its first-ever event, better yet the full season they once planned to present throughout the year. To put it kindly, it’s been a disaster thus far.
Many, like myself, have been waiting to have a post-mortem discussion on the GFL. As much as they insist things aren’t done, the mess that was the past 48-hour news cycle for the promotion gives little to no hope regarding what the future may be like. So I say let’s jump to conclusions a little and do some reflecting.
When things sounded too good to be true—a home for dozens of post-UFC talents, an optimistic fighter-pay setup and the goal of becoming a third North American super-power in the sport—how did so many people get roped into participating?
120 fighters signed on to a deal to fight with the GFL, and many others tried to get into the promotion but subsequently weren’t selected to compete via their draft. All these people put pen to paper despite their new company having no prior experience promoting fights. Some of them got out of their past deals in the sport. Many others likely picked a GFL deal over other options they had.
If the GFL folds without a single event, tons of careers will be negatively affected by this saga. Even in a situation where a fighter doesn’t miss out on other deals because of the GFL, they still would be coming out empty-handed after months of waiting for a paycheck.
But this situation could’ve been much worse, and that’s the one caveat. We’re not in a scenario where fighters have already competed and are now waiting to receive the money they’re owed — and trust me, that wouldn’t be a first for the shady and morally ambiguous world that is prizefighting.
If things somehow turn around and the GFL hosts an event and becomes a successful brand, then great. I’ll happily champion that, and even right now, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it’s not over until the fat lady sings (or files a civil lawsuit for breach of contract).
But if this is the beginning of the end, then the sport needs to follow my lead and have a sobering moment of reflection. Tons of names who are at the top level agreed to join the GFL despite the countless red flags. Fighters and their managers all simply had faith that it would play out perfectly, against all odds.
False promises happen everywhere in the world. But, if the GFL fails, it’ll be an example of smoke and mirrors being sold to an industry’s top level. If that’s not concerning, then I don’t know what is.
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