Tag: Bubba Jenkins

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.

Gabriel Braga def. Bubba Jenkins at 2024 PFL 6: Best photos

Check out these photos from Gabriel Braga vs. Bubba Jenkins at 2024 PFL 6 in South Dakota.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag]’s victory over Bubba Jenkins at 2024 PFL 6, which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL)

Bubba Jenkins over once-heated rivalry with Chris Wade following trilogy cancellation: ‘I don’t even say that name’

PFL’s Bubba Jenkins is on to “bigger and brighter” things in 2024, leaving a once-bitter rivalry with Chris Wade in the past.

The start of the 2024 PFL regular season marks a full-circle moment for [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag], and also an opportunity to leave a bitter rivalry behind.

Jenkins (21-7), who had a stint under the Bellator banner from 2013-16 before arriving at the PFL in 2021, is excited to see how the new chapter unfolds now that the companies have merged.

“The thing about it is, it’s kind of like a new terrain, a new everything, really,” Jenkins told reporters during a media scrum at XTreme Couture. “It’s like me and a couple of my boys left and then the new squad of Bellator. But it’s cool because I’ve had both worlds already. It’s kind of like everything is coming back full circle.”

Jenkins is focused on the tasks that lie ahead, which begin with a 2024 PFL 3 matchup against Kai Kamaka (12-5-1) on April 19. He has done his best to erase the memory of his last scheduled bout, a trilogy fight against a bitter rival in Chris Wade that fell apart on the scale. Wade missed weight for their November bout, leading to the cancellation of the fight.

“I showed up a complete professional like I was all year,” Jenkins said. “Every fight I showed up ready to fight, making weight, and it didn’t happen. I signed my part of the contract, I came and I showed, and that was that. I have had results that have varied, and every time I’ve come to be a professional I’ve done my job. That’s all I ever want to be remembered for is a man that came and was professional and did his job. Yes, I have fun, I do my antics, I’m going to leave a little ‘Bad Man’ taste on you, but I definitely come like they all come.”

As far as Wade, who Jenkins split the first two meetings with, that name and their once-heated rivalry is a thing of the past.

“I don’t even say that name,” Jenkins joked. “I don’t speak on it, I don’t think about it. I don’t even know what we’re talking about at this moment. Bigger and brighter things.”

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PFL lists its top 10 submissions of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best submissions of the year with this video ranking the top 10.

PFL continues its highlight of the best moments of its 2023 season, and this time it’s moved to submissions. The promotion compiled and ranked the top 10 submissions, which are:

1. [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] def. Sadibou Sy via guillotine choke
2. [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] def. Ryoji Kudo via guillotine choke
3. [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] def. Amber Leibrock via armbar
4. [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] def. Jo Sung Bin via rear-naked choke
5. [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] def. Karolina Sobek via armbar
6. [autotag]Simeon Powell[/autotag] def. Mohammed Amine via arm triangle choke
7. [autotag]Alexei Pergande[/autotag] def. Akeem Bashir via D’arce choke
8. [autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag] def. Carson Hardman via rear-naked choke
9. [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] def. Dimitry Solimeis via rear-naked choke
10. [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] def. Malin Hermansson via rear-naked choke

You can watch the replay of the top 10 PFL submissions in the video above.

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Bubba Jenkins turns down catchweight bout after Chris Wade’s weight miss at 2023 PFL Championship

At the Wednesday media day for the 2023 PFL Championship event, Bubba Jenkins made one thing very clear: He doesn’t like Chris Wade.

At the Wednesday media day for this week’s 2023 PFL Championship event, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] made one thing very clear: He doesn’t like [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag], and he’s not about to bury the hatchet with the guy.

Jenkins said it won’t matter what happens in the trilogy – they’re knotted at 1-1 – because what’s not about to happen is a handshake and well wishes.

Now it won’t matter for a while, though. Wade (23-10) on Thursday weighed in at 148.4 pounds, which was 2.4 pounds north of the non-title limit for the featherweight matchup on prelims. Jenkins (21-7) turned down a catchweight fight and a percentage of Wade’s purse for the scale infraction. Instead, Jenkins now will be a featherweight alternate for Friday’s $1 million championship bout between Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga.

PFL officials announced the fight’s cancellation Thursday. The 2023 PFL Championship now will go forward with four prelims, including an amateur bout.

Jenkins and Wade first fought in August 2021 in the featherweight semifinals. Wade defeated Jenkins by unanimous decision. The two fought again in April, when Jenkins got a unanimous decision win.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Bubba Jenkins won’t squash beef with Chris Wade no matter result at 2023 PFL Championship

Bubba Jenkins says there will be no peace between him and Chris Wade.

It looks like the rivalry between [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] will forever stand no matter how many times they fight.

The rivals are set to meet a third time Friday at the 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. Tied 1-1, it might be the most heated fued in PFL’s short history. The two have said plenty about each other over the past few years.

Jenkins (21-7) said no matter what happens Friday, he’s not making peace with Wade (23-10).

“No, no, no (we’re not shaking hands),” Jenkins said at the 2023 PFL Championship media day Wednesday. “Get out of my face. Kick rocks. I tried to shake your hand and give you that closure last time. I told you in the cage, ‘This is done. We’ve got no more ill will against each other’ in Vegas.

“I’ve got everybody in the crowd, everybody in the world that I want to be there at that moment, and if he wanted to do something we could’ve definitely done something. I let him know at that moment that this debt, this vitriol that we had, is canceled. … Friday will be his last showing with me, and I will be evicting his process and taking him out of this organization.”

Jenkins and Wade first fought in August 2021 in the featherweight semifinals. Wade defeated Jenkins by unanimous decision. The two fought again in April, when Jenkins got a unanimous decision win.

Jenkins is confident he’ll win again this time, and in no way thinks he will lose the trilogy to Wade.

“It’s going to be one-sided like our interviews and like the last fight,” Wade said. “He’s not going to beat the crap out of me. I’m telling you right now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

2023 PFL Playoffs 1 results: Jesus Pinedo dominates Bubba Jenkins to reach featherweight final

Check out he full results of 2023 PFL Playoffs 1, which features featherweight and light heavyweight semifinal bouts in San Antonio.

2023 PFL Playoffs 1 took place Friday and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured featherweight and light heavyweight semifinal bouts at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio. The main card aired live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

In the main event, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (21-7) took on [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] (22-6-1) in a featherweight semifinal bout. Pinedo entered the contest with a one-point deduction due to missing weight Thursday morning. Jenkins won both of his regular season bouts by picking up a unanimous decision over Chris Wade and a submission against Sung Bin Jo. Pinedo went 50/50 in his regular season outings, starting off with a split decision loss to Gabriel Alves Braga, but rebounding nicely with a first-round finish over 2022 champion Brendan Loughnane.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] (12-1) faced [autotag]Ty Flores[/autotag] (13-5) in a light heavyweight semifinal.  Silveira’s regular season run did not see a second round, as he submitted Sam Kei and picked up a TKO win against Delan Monte due to injury in the opening frame. Flores picked up unanimous decision wins over Monte and Dan Spohn in his regular season fights.

Full 2023 PFL Playoffs 1 results include:

2023 PFL Playoffs 1 weigh-ins results: Main event fighter Jesus Pinedo among two misses

Check out the weigh-ins results from the 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 event, which takes place Friday in San Antonio.

The PFL post-season kicks off Friday in San Antonio and Thursday the 20 fighters hit the scales for official weigh-ins.

Eighteen of those 2023 PFL Playoffs 1 fighters fulfilled their contractual obligations on the scales, while two did not. Main event featherweight [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] (21-6-1) came in slightly heavy at 146.4 pounds, 0.4 pounds over the divisional limit.

As a result, the PFL has announced Pinedo will be deducted a point in Friday’s scoring vs. [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (21-6) in the promotion’s view. The point deduction will not apply to the official Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) result. Should Pinedo win a decision, the promotion will only advance him to the finals if he won by a two-point margin on at least two scorecards.

Additionally, Hawaii’s [autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] (10-2) also missed by 0.4 pounds, as he weighed 156.4 pounds for a lightweight bout vs. [autotag]Elvin Espinosa[/autotag] (8-0) on the main card.

Check out the full 2023 PFL 3 Playoffs lineup below:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Bubba Jenkins (145.8) vs. Jesus Pinedo (146.4)* – featherweight semifinal
  • Ty Flores (205) vs. Josh Silveira (204) – light heavyweight semifinal
  • Gabriel Braga (145.8) vs. Chris Wade (146) – featherweight semifinal
  • Marthin Hamlet (206) vs. Impa Kasanagany – light heavyweight semifinal
  • Keoni Diggs (156.4)** vs. Elvin Espinosa (155.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Thad Jean (171) vs. Ali Omar (171)
  • Lisa Mauldin (125.2) vs. Desiree Yanez (171)
  • Carson Hardman (168.2) vs. Anthony Ivy (171)
  • Ky Bennett (124.8) vs. Chelsea Hackett (125.8)
  • Chuck Campbell (205.8) vs. Billy Elekana (205.4)

* = Pinedo misses featherweight limit by 0.4 pounds; forfeits 20 percent of purse to Jenkins; one point deducted from PFL’s playoff scoring

** = Diggs misses lightweight limit by 0.4 pounds; forfeits 20 percent of purse to Espinosa

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 1.

PFL’s Bubba Jenkins explains why soccer star Lionel Messi inspires him

Bubba Jenkins takes inspiration from Lionel Messi’s success in sport.

[autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] takes inspiration from [autotag]Lionel Messi[/autotag]’s success in sport.

Messi is widely considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time – if not the greatest. Jenkins can relate to Messi’s small stature in competition, and how he was able to excel regardless of being undersized.

“My son is a Ronaldo fan so he’s not a Messi guy, he’s a Ronaldo fan,” Jenkins told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s like, ‘Dad, why do you like Messi?’ and I was like because Messi is small, Messi is our size. Messi is a little guy, he’s smaller, and he gets the job done at the highest levels in his way, and I obviously know he’s in what you would consider the Arena League of soccer, killing everybody.

“So, it makes sense that he’s doing what he’s doing. But, it also highlights his greatness. He could have done it anywhere, doing it anywhere, but he decided to do it his way, how he wanted it. Pick up a smaller group of people, he likes to collaborate, and I love that.”

Jenkins (21-6) takes on Jesus Pinedo (21-6-1) in the 145-pound semifinal at 2023 PFL Playoffs 1, which takes place Aug. 4 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas.

2023 PFL Playoffs 1 will mark the first event Jenkins headlines, and he can’t wait for the opportunity to shine.

“I’m very excited, I can’t be more excited, and I’m the main event,” Jenkins said. “So, when it comes to me feeling like PFL finally got it right or giving the people what they want, it’s this. It’s ‘Bad Man Things’ in the main event, in Texas, all things are big in Texas, they do it big there. So, I couldn’t be more excited, more pumped for the position, the platform, and the stage.”

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2023 PFL 4 fighter pay: Bubba Jenkins, Movlid Khaybulaev top list with six figures

Check out the disclosed 2023 PFL 4 fighter pays released by the state of Georgia.

PFL returned to Atlanta this past Thursday for the first of three shows in consecutive weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

2023 PFL 4 featured final regular season bouts at light heavyweight and featherweight, as well as a pair of showcase fights. The event saw a shocking main event result when former UFC fighter [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] knocked out 2022 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] with a brutal knee and punches in Round 1.

Also on the card, 2021 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] defeated former UFC fighter [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag], and former UFC bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] retired after a knockout loss to [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag].

MMA Junkie acquired a list of the 22 athletes’ disclosed payouts from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The amounts do not include bonuses, sponsorships, or any other discretionary payments.

Two fighters, 2022 PFL featherweight runner-up [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] and Khaybulaev, topped the list at $100,000 and were the only two athletes on the card with disclosed six-figure payouts.

Scroll below to see the disclosed pay for each 2023 PFL 4 fighter.