Alexander Gustafsson – Syndication Server

Global Fight League announces launch, roster includes giant list of former UFC fighters

GFL has arrived – and it’s bringing fairly massive names from UFC yesteryears with it.

A new player has entered the MMA landscape, and it has arrived with some big names.

Wednesday, Global Fight League (GFL) announced its official launch will come in the opening weeks of 2025. The GFL concept differs from that of UFC and PFL.

While it has a league format and playoffs, it is also team-based and has a draft. There will be six franchises (names and cities to follow). The draft is scheduled for Jan. 24, with an inaugural event to follow in April.

Who’s fighting?

Co-founder Darren Owen revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday that the promotion has over 300 fighters under contract. Not all fighters will be drafted.

Of the 92 fighters posted to the promotion’s official website, 45 of them are former UFC fighters. Names include Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Kevin Lee, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior Dos Santos among others.

Scroll below to see the released names:

[autotag]Marcel Adur[/autotag]
[autotag]Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev[/autotag]
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]
[autotag]Omar Arteaga[/autotag]
[autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag]
[autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]
[autotag]Deberson Batista[/autotag]
[autotag]Raimundo Batista[/autotag]
[autotag]Stephen Beaumont[/autotag]
[autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag]
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]
[autotag]Claudeci Brito[/autotag]
[autotag]Will Brooks[/autotag]
[autotag]Yan Cabral[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexsandro Cangaty[/autotag]
[autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag]
[autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag]
[autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]
[autotag]Ayton de Paepe[/autotag]
[autotag]Patrizio de Souza[/autotag]
[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]
[autotag]Marcelo Dias[/autotag]
[autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag]
[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]
[autotag]Tonya Evinger[/autotag]
[autotag]Kalindra Faria[/autotag]
[autotag]Marciano Ferreira[/autotag]
[autotag]Chauncey Foxworth[/autotag]
[autotag]Glaico Franca[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
[autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag]
[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]
[autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]
[autotag]Guto Inocente[/autotag]
[autotag]Michael Irizarry[/autotag]
[autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag]
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]
[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]
[autotag]William Lima[/autotag]
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]
[autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
[autotag]Ruan Machado[/autotag]
[autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]
[autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksandr Maslov[/autotag]
[autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]
[autotag]Dominick Meriweather[/autotag]
[autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag]
[autotag]Silvania Monteiro[/autotag]
[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]
[autotag]Killys Motta[/autotag]
[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag]
[autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag]
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]
[autotag]Ayinda Octave[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
[autotag]Renan Oliveira[/autotag]
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag]
[autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag]
[autotag]Oscar Ownsworth[/autotag]
[autotag]Denis Palancica[/autotag]
[autotag]Rousimar Palharaes[/autotag]
[autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag]
[autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag]
[autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
[autotag]Jefferson Pontes[/autotag]
[autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]
[autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]
[autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Cleiton Silva[/autotag]
[autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag]
[autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]
[autotag]Julio Spadaccini[/autotag]
[autotag]Andre Soukhamthath[/autotag]
[autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag]
[autotag]Gabriel Souza Galindo[/autotag]
[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
[autotag]Mohamed Tarek Mohey[/autotag]
[autotag]Diego Teixeira[/autotag]
[autotag]Oli Thompson[/autotag]
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]
[autotag]Austin Tweedy[/autotag]
[autotag]Feruz Usmonov[/autotag]
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag]
[autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

What does GFL provide athletes that other promotions don’t?

According to Owen, GFL offers fighters a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. Additionally, the promotion provides comprehensive support for training and medical bills, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, and more.

Who is behind GFL and where is the money coming from?

Owen is listed as the co-founder and commissioner for GFL and serves essentially as the public face for the promotion. He served as COO of PFL vs. October 2015 to May 2020 and was the founder and CEO of World Series of Fighting Canada, according to his LinkedIn page.

Also listed on the promotion’s website are Arun Parimi (co-founder and COO), Scott Parker (CMO), and Jeffrey Pollack (senior advisor).

Owen declined to identify the source of the funds behind the operation, but did say it’s a silicon valley investor.

How does the regular season work?

Similarly to PFL, GFL has a point system for regular season fights.

A finish victory notches a fighter’s team four points. A decision win earns three points. A draw earns two points. A decision loss earns one point. If a fighter loses by finish, he or she walks away with zero points.

Alexander Gustafsson back to training, not opposed to UFC return: ‘Time will tell’

Former UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson is back training and has not closed the door on a return to the octagon.

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] is back to training and he’s leaving the door open for a potential return to the octagon.

The two-time UFC title challenger has resumed work at All Stars Training Center in Sweden. Gustafsson is mainly focused on getting back in shape and doing what he loves, but he’s not opposed for that to lead to a UFC fight down the line.

“I’m going to be here much more now and focus a little bit on myself and my own training and mainly get back in shape,” Gustafsson told Frontkick Online. “I don’t think about the competing part so much. If it comes, it comes, so time will tell.

“I’m focusing on myself and getting back in shape, and also I love this game. I love to train and be around the guys and do some grappling, do some wrestling, hit some pads and do some light sparring. I’ve been doing this my whole career, so I’m glad to be back and do what I love to do.”

Gustafsson was last seen in action in July 2022 when he made a return to the light heavyweight division after a one-fight stint at heavyweight. He was knocked out in the first round by Nikita Krylov.

The 36-year-old then was scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux in December 2022 at UFC 282, but he withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons. Gustafsson is currently on a four-fight losing skid.

Gustafsson confirmed he’s still under contract, so if he returns to the cage, it mostly likely would be with the UFC.

“If a fight is on the table, let’s talk about that and see how it feels and take it from there,” Gustafsson said. “I have the contract with the UFC. I have been with the UFC since 2009, so it’s been a while. I’m still in the business. I’m still under contract. If I fight, it would be in the UFC.”

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Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Jon Jones’ unanimous-decision win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165.

Check out these photos highlighting then-light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ unanimous-decision win over [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] on Sept. 21, 2013 at UFC 165 in Toronto. (Photos by Tom Szczerbowski, USA TODAY Sports)

Iron men: The 12 longest-tenured UFC fighters on the current roster

It’s tough to stay in the UFC, never mind for nearly a decade or longer, but these dozen fighters have defied the tests of time.

Two of the longest-tenured fighters, Ed Herman and Clay Guida, step into the cage Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 after nearly two decades with the promotion.

The majority of UFC fighters don’t last a decade under the promotion’s banner. It’s a difficult feat, but a handful of athletes on the roster have done that. In fact, some are even nearing the 17-year mark.

Some fighters have defied the odds and Father Time in their journey through the world’s top MMA organization. While some of these decade-plus fighters have earned or fought for titles, others have never reached that peak but have figured out how to evolve enough to stay put on the promotion’s roster.

Scroll below to see the 12 longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster.

It’s important to note: This list is based on continuous tenure with the promotion. Fighters who left the promotion, competed elsewhere, and came back are only eligible from the point in which they kicked off their current UFC stint.

Additionally, the fighters need to be on the promotion’s active roster. Fighters who have retired, but the UFC still have the rights to, are ineligible.

The “tenure” is considered to start the date of the first fight of the stint, not at the point of contract signing.

UFC free fight: Jon Jones pushed to limit in UFC Hall of Fame war with Alexander Gustafsson

UFC has posted the full free fight of the all-time classic between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson that landed in the UFC Hall of Fame.

During a slow weekend in MMA amidst the Thanksgiving holiday, the UFC has posted some archives of some of its most memorable fights.

A proper list would have [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] from UFC 165 right near the top, as the epic light heavyweight championship fight from September 2013 in Toronto still stands as one of the greatest fights in company history, and has already been enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame.

The fight was one of the most epic title bouts in UFC history, with Jones taking a unanimous decision win in what was, at the time, by far the most competitive bout of his career.

Going into the fight, Gustafsson was largely written off as a serious contender. Although Jones would later reveal he barely trained for the fight and was partying in the build-up, Gustafsson produced a stellar effort as the challenger and came close to pulling off a monumental upset.

Jones would retain, though, and go on to finish Gustafsson by third-round TKO in the rematch at UFC 232 in December 2018.

Watch the video above to see Jones and Gustafsson go to battle at UFC 165.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 14-20.

Ovince Saint Preux says Alexander Gustafsson out of UFC 282, Philipe Lins to replace

Alexander Gustafsson is out of the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view according to “OSP.”

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] has a new opponent.

According to “OSP,” his originally scheduled opponent [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] is off UFC 282 on Dec. 10. Stepping in his place will be [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag], a former PFL champion.

A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie after Saint Preux announced the bout on his OnlyFans page. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

A reason for Gustafsson’s withdrawal was not given.

One of the longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster, Saint Preux (26-16 MMA, 14-11 UFC) is 2-2 in his most recent four outings. Knockout losses to Tanner Boser and Jamahal Hill are sandwiched between a win over Alonzo Menifield and his most recent outing, a lackluster split decision against Mauricio Rua in May.

Lins (15-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) picked up his first UFC victory in April when he defeated Marcin Prachnio via unanimous decision. Prior to that fight, which marked his drop to light heavyweight, Lins lost two heavyweight fights; one to Andrei Arlovski and one to Tanner Boser.

With the change, the UFC 282 lineup includes:

Champ Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Jared Gordon vs. Paddy Pimblett
Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria
Philipe Lins vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Darren Till
Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Alexander Hernandez vs. Billy Quarantillo
TJ Brown vs. Erik Silva
Joaquin Buckley vs. Chris Curtis
Ronnie Lawrence vs. Cameron Saaiman
Daniel da Silva vs. Vinicius Salvador

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Volkan Oezdemir out to avenge teammate Alexander Gustafsson’s loss to Nikita Krylov at UFC 280

“This kind of fight makes sense for me. I gotta go there and avenge my teammate and get the victory.”

ABU DHABI – Fighting [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] has twice the incentive for [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag].

Almost immediately after Oezdemir (18-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and Krylov picked up wins on the same night in London this past July, the pair were matched up for Saturday’s UFC 280 event when Krylov respectfully called him out.

Oezdemir snapped Paul Craig’s winning streak, whereas Krylov (28-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) picked up a quick knockout of Oezdemir’s teammate, [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag].

“This kind of fight makes sense for me,” Oezdemir told MMA Junkie. “I’ve got to go there and avenge my teammate and get the victory.”

He continued, “Obviously Gustafsson was his biggest win ever. His biggest fight, his biggest win and something that made him shine, but definitely it’s gonna be different with me. I’m here to impose my style, and I’m here to impose my game.”

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Oezdemir was able to get back to the win column with his big win over Craig and is hoping to land a top-five opponent with a win over Krylov.

“It’s always good, because I’m here to stay,” Oezdemir said of bouncing back. “I’m here to climb the ranks, to get victory after victory, and now it’s good to get this behind and continue the winning streak.”

He continued, “Definitely it’s gonna make me improve, but then I obviously need a top-five guy after that just to put my name in the mix of the title shot. So, I need a victory against the top five after this fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.

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Alexander Gustafsson to return at UFC 282 against Ovince Saint Preux

Not done yet, Alexander Gustafsson will look to pick up his first win since 2017 when he meets Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 282.

Two of the UFC light heavyweight division’s most seasoned veterans are expected to square off in the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of 2022.

Multitime UFC title challenger [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] is expected to return against former interim title challenger [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] in a light heavyweight bout. The fight will take place Dec. 10 at UFC 282 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Gustafsson (18-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC), 35, has not won since May 2017. He’s attempted four times, but all have resulted in finishing defeats. His four-fight skid includes a title challenge loss to Jon Jones by TKO, submission losses to Anthony Smith and Fabricio Werdum, and most recently a 67-second TKO loss to Nikita Krylov in July.

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Saint Preux, 39, snapped a two-fight skid in May at UFC 274 when he defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by split decision in a relatively uneventful affair. Over the span of his most recent six outings, Saint Preux is 3-3 with appearances at both light heavyweight and heavyweight.

With the addition, the UFC 282 lineup includes:

Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Alexander Hernandez vs. Billy Quarantillo
Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Joaquin Buckley vs. Chris Curtis
Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
T.J. Brown vs. Erik Silva
Daniel da Silva vs. Vinicius Salvador
Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
Ronnie Lawrence vs. Cameron Saaiman
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ovince Saint Preux

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5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 208: Should Alexander Gustafsson retire?

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 208, which took place Saturday in London.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 208 at the The 02 in London? Here are a few post-fight musings …