As MMA grows in popularity, the UFC is at the helm of all the buzz. The premiere promotion in MMA has seen many rival promotions come and go, but they’ve never had the kind of impact Dana White‘s organization has had in the sport. But now, it seems like the 55-year-old has another rival coming up in the form of the Global Fight League or the GFL.

The Global Fight League is going to be a vastly different promotion than the UFC because of a plethora of aspects. From the rules to the payout, the GFL has an agenda that differs from the way the UFC operates because they have a more fighter-centric business model. And guess what? We’ll be getting its first event pretty soon.

When will The Global Fight League (GFL) start?

The new player in the MMA world recently made some important announcements. Citing that their official launch will take place in the very early phase of 2025. The main aspect that separates the GFL from the UFC is that the competition is going to be based on teams. Also, there will be fighter draft picks as well, which will be a new experience for not only the fighters but also for the fans.

The fighter drafts will take place on January 24, 2024, where six franchises will be vying to bag their favorite fighters. However, the details of the franchises aren’t available just yet. What we do know is that the inaugural event of the Global Fight League will happen in April next year.

The GFL also announced the massive roster, which amounts to 92 MMA fighters. As big as that is, let us first take a look at the details of the ownership of the UFC’s new rival.

Meet Arun Parimi and Darren Owen, GFL’s founders

The emergence of a new rival promotion might have some fans thinking if the owners have any experience in the promotion game. Well, for the GFL, things are pretty different. On one hand, we have the UFC, which is now operating under an umbrella organization, and on the other, the Global Fight League, with four-person ownership, and one of them has had his skin in the fight game for a long time.

The PFL’s former CEO, Darren Owen, who spent more than 4 years in his former organization, has taken up the role of the Founder and Acting Commissioner of the GFL. Moreover, he also gave MMA fans the World Fight League in 2023, which seems to be the previous version of his new MMA league. Along with Owen is Arun Parimi, who has been in the media business for some years now. He’ll now assume the role of the COO of the GFL.

The other couple of individuals in the Global Fight League’s ownership consist of the Chief Marketing Officer, Scott Parker, and Jeffrey Pollack, who’s the senior adviser of the organization.  Now, let us finally take a look at notable names from their whole roster.

Which former UFC fighters has GFL signed? Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, and more

For the record, the UFC has 578 fighters actively on their payroll. However, with the 92 fighters they’ve added, the GFL’s owners have included some of the most decorated MMA fighters who also made an impact in the UFC. Some of the biggest names include former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former featherweight champion, Anthony Pettis and former heavyweight champions Fabricio Werdum, and Andre Arlovski.

But that’s not all, folks! The Global Fight League’s roster also includes some legendary fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Hector Lombard. Even former UFC icons like Frank Mir and Gegard Mousasi will also be competing under the GFL banner. Finally, let’s take a look at the kind of business model that the owners adopted for this new fight league.

How much will GFL fighters earn? Insurance and other important details

The biggest talking point about the Global Fight League is that fighters will get insurance benefits, unlike in the UFC. The fighters’ contract include not only health insurance but also injury insurance. Additionally, there is a plan to create a structured retirement fun. Dana White may have never considered this for the UFC, but the GFL will also give fighters a 50 percent share of the revenue for the events they fight in and all these benefits are a part of their movement to take mixed martial arts to the next level.

“Our new league is a logical evolution for MMA. Our mission is to embrace fighters as true equitable partners from inception and, together, create a format that can be understood by any sports fan,” Founder Darren Owen stated in a press release. “I’ve had hundreds of conversations with MMA legends and rising stars and our business plan is an extension of what I have heard from fighters who want a new way to compete and excel in the world’s fastest-growing sport.”

When Dana Whit got hit with questions about the UFC’s new rival, he claimed that he welcomes new competition. It remains to be seen what kind of competition the Global Fight League offers to the UFC as they look to evolve MMA in the years to come. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.