It’s been a long and winding road for the Global Fight League, but the promotion is just hours away from its first-ever live virtual draft.
Emanating from Van Wagner Studios in Phoenix, Arizona, the GFL draft on Friday, January 24 will feature hundreds of mixed martial arts, including a slew of ex-UFC champions like Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Benson Henderson, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Luke Rockhold, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Andrei Arlovski.
Also signed to the promotion are former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, ‘Motown Phenom’ Kevin Lee, Ovince Saint Preaux, Gegard Mousasi, Hector Lombard, Uriah Hall, Jeremy Stephens, Chad Mendes, and Kai Kamaka.
The GFL draft will air live on their official platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. The event will also be available through DAZN, PPV.com, TrillerTV, and Rumble with festivities scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
GFL founder Darren Owen, Karate Combat’s Robin Black, TNT Sports reporter Caroline Pearce, CJI roaming reporter Alex Wendling, former UFC play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg, and former UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub will all be on hand to break down the draft as it happens.
Global Fight League will feature six teams with 20 fighters per roster
Over 420 athletes from 67 countries will be in the draft, competing for 120 coveted roster spots to enter the 2025 season. The roster spots are divided into six inaugural ‘city’ teams: Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and São Paulo. Each team will have both a manager and a coach.
Dubai is managed by Cain Velasquez and coached by Javier Mendez.
London is managed by Luke Barnatt and coached by Carl Prince.
Los Angeles is managed by Wanderlei Silva and coached by Rafael Cordeiro.
Miami is managed by Thiago Alves and coached by Conan Silveira.
New York is coached by Ray Longo with a manager TBA (rumored to be Chris Weidman).
Sao Paulo is managed by Lyoto Machida and coached by Andre Pederneiras.
Among the athletes on the GLF roster are women representing 16 different countries.
“We are proud to be the first professional sports organization where men and women compete on the same teams and share revenue streams equally,” GFL founder and commissioner Darren Owen said in a news release. “The incredible drawing power, athleticism, and competitiveness of the world’s best female fighters will be pivotal to our success. This groundbreaking approach represents a new era for MMA, where male and female athletes share equally in the league’s achievements.”
Women eligible for Friday’s draft include former UFC fighter turned BKFC brawler Paige VanZant, Julia Budd, Evelyn Martins, Tonya Evinger, Pannie Kianzad, Bi Nguyen, Hannah Goldy, Jessica Penne, Kayla Hracho, and Jessica Aguilar.
Get more info on the athletes of the Global Fight League right here.
