(This story has been updated to include new information.)
The Global Fight League has cancelled its first scheduled event.
The GFL was scheduled to officially launch its first combat event at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on May 24th and May 25th. Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletics Board, confirmed to MMA Junkie that the event had been cancelled.
This news was first reported by Fight Oracle on X. Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani reported that the overall future of the promotion is uncertain.
CSAC’s Head Andy Foster confirmed to me that the 2 night, 2 night double header debut event in Los Angeles, on May 24th and 25th, was actually cancelled, followed by the X-Post. @Fightoracle.
Additional sources close to fighter jets say the event is said to have…
– No Ranking (@MMA_Kings) April 10, 2025
GFL founder Darren Owen explains that financial obligations are not met by one of the leading investors in the promotion and hopes to host its first event in June, he told MMA Junkie on Thursday.
“Our major investors didn’t fulfill their April obligations that caused some issues, but we’re taking a solution,” Owen said. “We’ll probably need to release it in June, but we’ll move forward 100%.”
The GFL is scheduled for 30 fights in the first two-day celebration, split evenly between pairs of fight cards.
The event on May 24th included Urija Faber vs. Renanbarao, Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson, and Hollyholm vs. Juliabud. The May 25th event featured a matchup between Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis, Obins St. Prikes vs. Alexander Gustafson, Uliahall vs. Douglas Lima, and Page Van Zandt vs. Randyfield.
The GFL promoted the team-based format, hosting its first draft in January, with a roster that was largely dominated by UFC-Veterans on teams representing Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Sao Paulo.
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