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The official announcement
regarding the launch of the Global Fight League shook up the
mixed martial arts world last week.

Thus far, more than 50 fighters have reportedly been signed by the
fledgling promotion, including ex-UFC champions. Sherdog recently
spoke to three of those former title holders — Junior dos
Santos, Renan Barao
and Fabricio
Werdum — all of whom confirmed their participation and
expressed excitement about the potential of the new promotion.

The first Brazilian champion of the UFC’s bantamweight division,
the now 37-year-old Barao left the promotion in November 2019 after
losing seven of his last eight bouts. In 2023, Barao accepted an
invitation to fight at an event in Kuwait, where he lost by
decision to Walter Zamorano. He hasn’t fought since then.

“I was just training in jiu-jitsu when I received a call from my
manager,” Barao said. “I got it right away, Iiked the system and it
will be a pleasure to defend Brazil in MMA. The proposal was good —
actually it could be better — but anyway, it motivated me to return
to an MMA training routine. I had high expectations to fight twice
a year in the featherweight division and present myself in the best
possible way.

Meanwhile, the 47-year-old Werdum, who mentioned the new
organization in an exclusive interview with Sherdog in November,
revealed that he already knows his opponent. According to “Vai
Cavalo,” it will be a former UFC champion who is also known for his
prowess on the ground.

“I loved the idea of the new event and, above all, the proposal was
very good, including an advance that will allow me to stop my
podcasts and lectures to focus 100% on training,” Werdum said. “As
the fight will be in April, I’m already starting to train lightly
and structuring my camp, which will possibly be with Andre Dida and
Wanderlei in Curitiba. In the final weeks we will bring the master
Rafael
Cordeiro.”

Werdum last appeared at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5, where he
dropped a split-decision to dos Santos. The former UFC rivals are
on good terms these days.

“Definitely the world is changing,” Werdum said. “Who would have
thought that from being rivals we would become friends and training
partners representing Brazil together in the GFL. It will be great
to be able to be alongside ‘Cigano’ representing Brazil.”

The current Gamebred heavyweight champion, with recent victories
over Werdum and Allan Belcher, dos Santos revealed to Sherdog that
he had already been staying in shape for a potential title defense.
The new promotional opportunity only added to his motivation.

“I think the GFL is coming to impact the world of MMA,” dos Santos
said. “I loved this idea of teams, and I will do everything in my
power to make the project successful. I can’t wait to find out who
my first opponent will be. I have no doubt that GFL is coming to
revolutionize and for me, it will be an honor to be part of it all.
I´m very excited.”

As reported here on Sherdog last week, the new MMA league intends
to bring back a team competition structure to the sport and 50
fighters have already signed to compete in its first season in
2025. In addition to JDS, Werdum and Barao, the list includes
several other notable stars from organizations such as Pride,
Strikeforce, Bellator, PFL and World Series of Fighting.

The Global Fight League (GFL) intends to hold its first event in
April 2025, according to founder Darren Owen. The first season’s
schedule includes 15 events between April and September, plus three
playoff events between September and November, when the finals take
place. According to the announcement, a group of 300 fighters will
be available for a draft in which six teams will select 20 fighters
each for their squads. Each team will have two fighters for each of
the 10 weight categories. This includes three women’s divisions
(strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight) and seven men’s divisions
(bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight,
middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight). The new league
also promises an equal division of 50% of its revenue for athletes,
in addition to a retirement fund and a scholarship payment
structure with no victory bonus, but with a guaranteed raise in the
next fight in case of victory.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger