The Global Fight League (GFL) has canceled its inaugural events, originally planned for May 24th and 25th in Los Angeles. This cancellation raises questions about whether the MMA promotion will ever become operational.
Andy Foster, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, has confirmed the cancellation of both events, which were to be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Sources close to fighters who were slated to compete on the cards also corroborated this information to MMA Fighting on Wednesday, following an initial report by Yahoo! Sports.
While discussions are ongoing regarding the possibility of rescheduling these events later in 2025, it remains unclear if the fighters contracted with GFL will remain committed to the promotion after this latest delay in its launch.
When GFL was initially announced, there were preliminary plans for a launch in April, which then shifted to May in Los Angeles. With these events now canceled, the viability of GFL is uncertain, leading to concerns that it may cease to exist before it even begins.
Headed by former PFL executive Darren Owen, the emerging promotion quickly signed a number of prominent fighters to its roster after announcing its plans to launch in 2025.
The initial two fight cards were set to feature notable names such as Tony Ferguson, Dillon Danis, Chad Mendes, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Holly Holm, Urijah Faber, Renan Barao, Alexander Gustafsson, Paige VanZant, and Cat Zingano.
Numerous other fighters were also signed with GFL, including former UFC champion Chris Weidman. Weidman had considered retirement before accepting an offer from the promotion, hoping for a rematch against Luke Rockhold – another fighter signed to the GFL.
Many fighters who signed with GFL mentioned the exceptionally generous financial terms offered in their contracts, which immediately sparked doubts about the long-term sustainability of the organization.
With the cancellation of its first two events and no definitive plans for the future, the overall future of GFL appears uncertain.
