And like that, his Big 2 night debut in the Global Fight League in Los Angeles is dead underwater.
Last month, GFL announced that it will feature former UFC stars and top MMA prospects over two stacked nights within the iconic shrine auditorium a few weeks later.
Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletics Board, confirmed to Ariel Helwani that the ambitious launch of the promotion is no longer on the docket.
“GFL canceled the first two events scheduled for May 24th and 25th in Los Angeles, confirmed by CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster,” Helwani wrote to X:
Global Fight League founders explain why they cancelled
Following a report from Helwani, MMA Junkie contacted GLF founder Darren Owen to confirm the news. Owen also explained why he was pushed back to the date that his debut in May was decided.
“Our major investors didn’t fulfill their April obligations that caused some issues, but we’re taking a solution,” Owen said in an email exchange. “We’ll probably need to release it in June, but we’ll move forward 100%.”
The first GFL event was scheduled to feature 31 fights over two nights, including Urija Faber vs. Renanbarao, including the trilogy between Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson, and the clash between Tony Ferguson and Dillon Danis. Holly Holm, Alexander Gustafson, Page Vanzant, Cat Zingano and Douglas Lima were also scheduled to compete.
The GFL fighter contract was intended to feature 50/50 revenue share and retirement incentives. Many fighters also spoke publicly about the large wallets that GFL offers.