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GFL founder fights for the future: news after event cancellations!
Darren Owen, founder of the GFL, announces a postponement and positive future prospects for June despite the canceled events.
GFL founder fights for the future: news after event cancellations!
Following the unexpected cancellations of the first two Global Fight League (GFL) events on May 24 and 25, 2025 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the company is under pressure. However, Darren Owen, the league's founder, has stressed that he remains committed to pursuing the GFL's goals. According to sports.yahoo.com, Owen wants to "keep pushing forward" despite setbacks caused by a key investor's failure to meet financial obligations.
The two debut events, which had a total of 30 fights scheduled, included some high-profile fights. Fights such as Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao and Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson were scheduled for opening night. The second day of the event saw matches such as Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis and Paige VanZant vs. Randi Field. The audience was excited about the large number of UFC veterans and former champions, as a total of 42 UFC veterans and nine former UFC/Bellator champions were scheduled to be involved in the fights mmajunkie.usatoday.com reported.
Hope for June
Despite the frustrating developments, Owen is optimistic that the events could be postponed until June 15th and 16th. He said: "It's been a frustrating week, but we have a solution in the works." These positive statements are consistent with the plan that, according to Owen, the GFL is “100% on the way forward.”
The GFL, which promotes a team-based format, held a draft back in January with teams from cities including Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Sao Paulo represented. Given the uncertain future, which MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has also reported on, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop.
As the California State Athletic Commission, represented by executive director Andy Foster, confirmed, the cancellation of the events was a direct result of the financial difficulties and the associated organizational chaos. However, with top-class athletes and an innovative format, the GFL could offer attractive prospects for future fights.
Reaction from the MMA community has been mixed, with many expressing concern about the future of the league. Nevertheless, there remains hope that the announced postponements can be implemented successfully.