The GFL has notified its athletes of new details pertaining to operations and its upcoming schedule.
On Monday, fighters and teams received a memo, which MMA Junkie acquired from multiple recipients who asked to remain anonymous.
The memo, signed by GFL founder Darren Owen, reiterated many of the promotion’s selling points including its revenue share, “partnership” mentality with fighters, and that fighters are underpaid and undervalued in MMA.
“I want you to feel free in your careers,” Owen wrote. “If you want a release from your contract just ask me for it. If you don’t want to be here, we’re all better off if you’re not”
While many of those aspects have been heavily advertised, Owen also revealed new details including which month will be tied to which location, how the season format will play out, and discussed where the fights will be available for viewing.
Mar 9, 2019; Wichita, KS, USA; Junior Dos Santos (blue gloves) defeats Derrick Lewis (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at InTrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelly Ross-USA TODAY Sports Images
Regular season schedule
The promotion held its first-ever draft Jan. 24 with 120 fighters divided across six teams from a pool of over 500 athletes. Dozens of notable names and a handful of former UFC champions including Tyron Woodley, Chris Weidman, Junior Dos Santos, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Andrei Arlovski, Luke Rockholand, and Benson Henderson were among those selected.
Each team represents a different city, with each cities set to host an event in the regular season, as follows:
- April: Los Angeles
- May: New York
- June: London
- July: Miami
- August: Dubai
- September: Sao Paulo
The memo stated half of the GFL roster will compete each month, with each athlete expected to compete three times over the span of the six months. Fighters will alternate months.
Playoffs
Four teams will qualify for each weight class’s playoffs with a championship event expected for November. Performance in the 2025 season will determine participation in the 2026 season.
First matchups
According to the memo the following matchups will kick off the 2025 season: Los Angeles vs. New York, Dubai vs. Miami, and Los Angeles vs. Sao Paulo.
Bout card order
Fans will vote to determine fight card order.
Team names
Team names will be announced in the coming weeks.
Where to watch
In the memo, GFL named ESPN+ and DAZN as “the current best available options” after mentioning there were “offers from multiple major global platforms” on the table. Regardless, the promotion told its athletes the fights will be available for global viewing.
Sponsorships
Fighters are not permitted to wear sponsors on their fight kits. The promotion pointed to its 50 percent rev-share policy with fighters as rationale, but also added there will be a 20 percent commission for any fighter that brings the promotion a sponsor that it then strikes a deal with.
Oct 3, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Sage Northcutt (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Francisco Trevino (not pictured) during UFC 192 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Matchmaking
“Our priority is to create the highest revenue-generating fights possible,” the memo reads. Owens admitted “trades” may occur in order to make these fights happen.
Content production partnership
The promotion says it has a deal in place with Box to Box Films for content production. Box to Box Films has produced content on Formula 1 racing and the NHL among other projects.
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