Dana White might be focused on the UFC, but drama is brewing just outside his cage. His would-be rival, the Global Fight League (GFL), has already stumbled before setting foot inside the arena. A promised revolution is starting to look like a mirage. And at the center of this mess? Big names. Big promises. And one very concerning bank transfer.

Tony Ferguson was supposed to rise from the ashes in a headline-grabbing bout against Dillon Danis for the fledgling promotion. A fresh start. A final chapter. A shot at rewriting his story. But now, ‘El Cucuy’ is left hanging by a thread, with GFL’s future tangled in financial chaos.

Dana White’s rival promotion in hot water as Tony Ferguson’s future hangs in the balance

In an Instagram post shared by ‘Fight Basics’, Lloyd Pierson, who manages GFL-signed fighters like Ferguson and Urijah Faber, revealed that this wasn’t just about bad luck.

The post read, “Lloyd Pierson (who represents GFL-signed fighters like Urijah Faber and Tony Ferguson) claims that Darren Owen (GFL) shared screenshots of a GFL bank account with a $20 million balance to prove his promotion had the money on hand to back up their big talk. When asked about this, Owen told Uncrowned that his unnamed primary investor dropped that money into their account … and then pulled it right back out.”

The stunt raised more than eyebrows—it raised red flags. Owen later admitted the funds came from a “primary investor” who simply wanted to show the promotion had backing. That investor had previously dropped monthly payments of $200,000 without issue. Then came April. And the silence.

According to a statement made by Owen, he confessed,”We had a monthly schedule of funds typically in the $200,000 per-month range that he had been funding without issue until April. Whether it was the market crash or him getting cold feet, he did not fulfill his April obligation and subsequently halted our progress.”

That progress included two major GFL debut events set for May 24 and 25 in Los Angeles—both now scrapped. In the span of weeks, the GFL narrative shifted from bold to broken. From high hopes to headlines about cancellations and profit-sharing. The shift has seemingly sent fighters like Ferguson, already clinging to one last chance, into freefall.

And what does Dana White think of all this? Not much, apparently. After UFC 314, when asked about GFL’s troubles, the UFC boss replied, “Yeah, I don’t know enough about the GFL to really speak on it.”

White didn’t hold back when it came to the business side either. He further stated, “But this is… yeah, it’s a lot harder than it looks.” It wasn’t shade. Just pure indifference. While Dana White shrugged off GFL’s collapse with calm detachment, not everyone kept it cool. Some, like UFC veteran Chael Sonnen, pulled the curtain back on the brutal reality of trying to enter MMA’s elite business circle.

GFL’s  funding woes get a harsh reality check from Chael Sonnen  

Chael Sonnen has seen it all when it comes to the fight game. And when speaking on the GFL debacle that has been unfolding recently, he didn’t sugarcoat his feelings.

In a video on his YouTube channel, the UFC veteran stated, “Now the sport of MMA, while not wholeheartedly different than other industries, is a very clear group of sc—bags. You are welcome to play in MMA as long as you have money. “

And by that, he meant the executives and power players running the show. But he made one thing clear: if you’ve got money, the sport will open its arms. But what happens when the money dries up? According to Sonnen, “The moment any of that ceases to be true, you will then be called a scam. And that might be one of the nicer ones.”

And what about the GFL’s future? That remains a question without a confident answer. Darren Owen’s promotion was supposed to be a disruptor. But in the unforgiving world of MMA, dreams need more than hype and screenshots of bank accounts.

For fighters like Tony Ferguson, the collapse of GFL isn’t just another cancelled event—it’s a gut punch. After enduring years of brutal battles and an eight-fight skid, Ferguson was eyeing a fresh stage, one free of the ghosts haunting his UFC record. Instead, he’s been left stranded once again, this time by a promotion that promised gold but delivered nothing.

Do you think the GFL will be able to bounce back from this fiasco to challenge Dana White and the UFC? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!