Blended Martial Arts (MMA) has quickly ascended to world prominence, charming tens of millions of followers and establishing itself as one of the thrilling sports activities on the planet. Nonetheless, whereas the game has advanced by way of talent, athleticism, and viewership, the enterprise and operational fashions inside MMA have typically lagged behind, leaving athletes undercompensated and underrepresented. Enter the World Battle League (GFL), a groundbreaking group poised to redefine the way forward for fight sports activities by prioritizing athlete welfare, integrity, and innovation.
The GFL is not only one other MMA promotion; it’s a motion that locations athletes on the coronary heart of its mission. In contrast to conventional MMA organizations, which frequently depart fighters with minimal monetary safety and restricted advantages, the GFL is pioneering a real team-based league mannequin. This revolutionary construction ensures that athletes are extra than simply opponents—they develop into equitable companions within the success of the league.
For the primary time in fight sports activities historical past, the GFL ensures that fifty% of all occasion income sources will go on to the athletes. This mannequin not solely offers fairer compensation but in addition aligns the pursuits of the league and its fighters, fostering a collaborative atmosphere the place everybody works towards shared success.
Along with income sharing, the GFL is addressing two vital areas typically uncared for in fight sports activities: retirement and insurance coverage. The league is committing 8% of every athlete’s purse to a retirement fund, guaranteeing fighters have monetary stability lengthy after they dangle up their gloves. Moreover, a 2% contribution to insurance coverage offers fighters with essential protection, prioritizing their well being and well-being each inside and outdoors the cage.
These initiatives underscore the GFL’s dedication to constructing a sustainable profession path for its athletes, providing a mannequin that different sports activities leagues and organizations can aspire to emulate.
Probably the most thrilling improvements launched by the GFL is its team-based league mannequin. By organizing athletes into groups, the league enhances the strategic and emotional dimensions of MMA, giving followers new storylines and alliances to comply with. This construction additionally fosters camaraderie amongst fighters, who typically prepare in isolation and compete in an individualistic atmosphere.
Group-based competitors doesn’t simply elevate the game for followers—it creates a way of unity and shared function amongst athletes, additional strengthening the league’s basis of collaboration and integrity.
For MMA followers, the GFL guarantees an electrifying expertise. The team-based mannequin introduces rivalries, narratives, and stakes that stretch past particular person fights. Followers can rally behind their favourite groups whereas nonetheless having fun with the talent and spectacle of one-on-one fight. The GFL’s dedication to transparency and equity additionally ensures that followers can belief within the authenticity and integrity of the league.
By sharing revenues with athletes, the GFL additionally ensures that fighters are motivated to offer their finest efficiency, realizing their success straight impacts their monetary {and professional} future. This creates an atmosphere the place the best degree of competitors thrives, delivering unforgettable moments for followers all over the world.
The World Battle League is extra than simply an MMA promotion—it’s a imaginative and prescient for what the game can and may develop into. By prioritizing integrity, collaboration, and athlete welfare, the GFL is setting a brand new normal for a way fight sports activities are organized and operated.
In an period the place athletes in different sports activities leagues get pleasure from collective bargaining, retirement funds, and insurance coverage, the GFL is leveling the taking part in discipline for MMA fighters. This evolution is not only mandatory—it’s inevitable. As the game continues to develop, organizations that put athletes first will cleared the path, and the GFL is on the forefront of that revolution.
The 2025 GFL Draft came about nearly on Friday, January 24, 2025. Six groups will every characterize a significant metropolis and can choose from a discipline of roughly 500 fighters, together with notable free brokers and prospects.
120 fighters have been chosen throughout 10 weight lessons (heavyweight, gentle heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, light-weight, featherweight, bantamweight, girls’s bantamweight, girls’s strawweight and girls’s atomweight), however the weight lessons are divided barely in a different way than conventional weight lessons, which the group says is an try and fight weight slicing.
Though particular dates have but to be introduced, the promotion is predicted to launch in April and have common season occasions, semi-finals and finals all year long.
The six groups are managed and educated by MMA greats Dubai (supervisor Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendes), London (supervisor Luke Bernat and coach Karl Prince), Los Angeles (managers Wanderlei Silva and Rafael Cordeiro), Miami (supervisor Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira), New York (supervisor TBA and coach Rey Longo) and Sao Paulo (supervisor Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras).
2025 GFL Draft outcomes:
Group Dubai
Anastasia Nikolakakos (atomweight)Jessica Aguilar (atomweight)Faine Mesquita (strawweight)Randi Area (strawweight)Alexa Conners (bantamweight)Arlene Blencowe (bantamweight)Farbod Iran Nezhad (bantamweight)Timur Valiev (bantamweight)Adilet Nurmatov (featherweight)Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov (featherweight)Damir Ismagulov (light-weight)Tofiq Musayev (light-weight)Abubakar Nurmagomedov (welterweight)Tyron Woodley (welterweight)Derek Brunson (middleweight)Luke Rockhold (middleweight)Omari Akhmedov (gentle heavyweight)Ronny Markes (gentle heavyweight)Ali Isaev (heavyweight)Todd Duffee (heavyweight)
Group Los Angeles
Cory McKenna (atomweight)Jessica Penne (atomweight)Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (strawweight)Cynthia Calvillo (strawweight)Aspen Ladd (bantamweight)Leslie Smith (bantamweight)Ray Borg (bantamweight)Urijah Faber (bantamweight)Chad Mendes (featherweight)Tyler Diamond (featherweight)Sage Northcutt (light-weight)Tony Ferguson (light-weight)Lorenz Larkin (welterweight)Louis Glismann (welterweight)Grant Neal (middleweight)Uriah Corridor (middleweight)Da Woon Jung (gentle heavyweight)Rashad Evans (gentle heavyweight)Frank Mir (heavyweight)Andrei Arlovski (heavyweight)
Group London
Chiara Penco (atomweight)Kelly Staddon (atomweight)Josefine Knutsson (strawweight)Karolina Owczarz (strawweight)Julia Budd (bantamweight)Pannie Kianzad (bantamweight)Cameron Else (bantamweight)Josh Hill (bantamweight)Brett Johns (featherweight)Mike Grundy (featherweight)Benson Henderson (light-weight)Tim Wilde (light-weight)Danny Roberts (welterweight)Norman Parke (welterweight)Gegard Mousasi (middleweight)Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (middleweight)Alexander Gustafsson (gentle heavyweight)Ilir Latifi (gentle heavyweight)Stuart Austin (heavyweight)Tanner Boser (heavyweight)
Group Miami
Kayla Hracho (atomweight)Natasha Kuziutina (atomweight)Hannah Goldy (strawweight)Paige VanZant (strawweight)Cat Zingano (bantamweight)Mariya Agapova (bantamweight)Eric Shelton (bantamweight)Marlon Moraes (bantamweight)Andre Harrison (featherweight)Charles Rosa (featherweight)Anthony Pettis (light-weight)Jeremy Stephens (light-weight)Dilano Taylor (welterweight)Gleison Tibau (welterweight)Hector Lombard (middleweight)Yoel Romero (middleweight)Philipe Lins (gentle heavyweight)Thiago Santos (gentle heavyweight)Robelis Despaigne (heavyweight)Junior Dos Santos (heavyweight)
Group Sao Paulo
Joice Mara (atomweight)Pamela Mara (atomweight)Camila Reynoso (strawweight)Viviane Araujo (strawweight)Alejandra Lara (bantamweight)Paula Bittencourt (bantamweight)Raphael Assuncao (bantamweight)Renan Barao (bantamweight)Julio Arce (featherweight)Maike Linhares (featherweight)Patricky Freire (light-weight)Lucas Martins (light-weight)Alex Oliveira (welterweight)Carlos Petruzzella (welterweight)Alan Patrick (middleweight)Douglas Lima (middleweight)Antonio Carlos Junior (gentle heavyweight)Mauricio Rua (gentle heavyweight)Bruno Cappelozza (heavyweight)Fabricio Werdum (heavyweight)
Group New York
Bi Nguyen (atomweight)Marisa Messer-Belenchia (atomweight)Melissa Amaya (strawweight)Miao Ding (strawweight)Holly Holm (bantamweight)Liana Jojua (bantamweight)Jimmie Rivera (bantamweight)Zviad Lazishvili (bantamweight)Lance Palmer (featherweight)Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)Sidney Outlaw (light-weight)Kevin Lee (light-weight)Neiman Gracie (welterweight)Dillon Danis (welterweight)Phillip Hawes (middleweight)Chris Weidman (middleweight)Devin Clark (gentle heavyweight)Ovince Saint Preux (gentle heavyweight)Fabricio Werdum (heavyweight)Aleksei Oleinik (heavyweight)
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Government Author, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a ardour for Fight Sports activities and in addition a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s additionally a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
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