Jordan Mein – 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.

UFC veterans in MMA and boxing action April 21-23

Check out which UFC veterans are in MMA and boxing action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is back in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex for a heavyweight showdown. In the main event, [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in a fight scheduled for five rounds.

Elsewhere, many other MMA and boxing events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This weekend, there are a total of 18 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from April 21-23.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Bellator 242 post-event facts: Aaron Pico’s presence felt in the record books

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 242, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator made its return from a 153-day hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic on Friday with Bellator 242, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A title eliminator in the bantamweight division served as the main event of the card as former longtime UFC contender [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) remained undefeated in his Bellator career when he outworked [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) to a unanimous decision.

Pettis’ performance closed out a seven-fight card that included a few notable feats. For more on the numbers, check below for 17 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 242.

* * * *

General

Betting favorites went 3-1 on the main card.

Betting favorites improved to 4-0 in Bellator main events this year.

Total fight time for the four-bout main card was 47:10.

Main card

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Pettis’ two-fight Bellator winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Pettis has earned 13 of his 20 career victories by decision. That includes 10 of his past 11 wins.

Bandejas has suffered two of his three Bellator losses by decision.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) has earned two of his three Bellator victories by decision.

[autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag] (31-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) was unsuccessful in his Bellator debut following a nine-fight UFC stint.

Mein fell to 2-3 since he returned from retirement in December 2016.

[autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) improved to 6-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in September 2017.

Pico earned the first submission victory of his career.

Pico’s six stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (11) and Patricio Freire (10).

Preliminary card

[autotag]Jake Smith[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Cass Bell[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had his five-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Rudy Schaffroth[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 6-0.

Schaffroth suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Bellator 242 results: Jason Jackson stifles debuting Jordan Mein to win decision

Jason Jackson gave Jordan Mein a rude welcome to his new promotion with a dominant win at Bellator 242.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] put a notable win on his resume Friday at Bellator 242 when he routed UFC and Strikeforce veteran [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag] for three rounds.

Jackson (12-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) gave Mein (31-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) a rude welcome to Bellator with a dominant performance. His striking was more effective and he was a step ahead grappling both offensively and defensively throughout. At the end of 15 minutes, the result was a unanimous decision victory with 30-27 scores from all three judges.

The welterweight fight was the co-feature bout of Bellator 242, which took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Mein came out fighting aggressively. He whipped multiple kicks in Jackson’s direction and attempt to pressure with volume striking. Jackson had the answer, though, and got his respect back by tagging Mein with strikes to the head. Jackson’s confidence built, and he captured momentum after five minutes.

[lawrence-related id=538236,537957,538228]

Jackson picked up where he left off in the second round. He threw more often than Mein, who was getting visibly frustrated with his inability to get off. Jackson kept the Canadian on his toes, too, landing low calf kicks and even mixing in a takedown and doing a little work from top control.

In desperate need to make something happen in the final frame, Mein came out throwing stepping elbows and other strikes. When that failed to land, he went for a takedown in hopes of establishing ground control. Jackson stopped that, as well, before landing a hard right hand that dropped Mein to the canvas. Mein survived, but the book was closed on the contes. Jackson rode out the final minutes on top after stopping a takedown, closing out a clean night’s work.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 242 results:

Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jay Jay Wilson def. Tywan Claxton via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
Aaron Pico def. Solo Hatley Jr. via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:10
Mark Lemminger def. Jake Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:46
Raufeon Stots def. Cass Bell via submission (rear-naked choke – Round 3, 1:24
Ras Hylton def. Rudy Schaffroth via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Bellator 242 results and live video stream (8:45 p.m. ET)

Bellator 242 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results.

Bellator 242 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 8:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card simulcasts on Paramount/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie (which can be watched in the video above).

In the main event, [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] and [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] meet in what’s been billed as a bantamweight title eliminator. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag] in a welterweight bout. The main card also includes the return of highly touted featherweight prospect [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] against [autotag]Solo Hatley Jr.[/autotag]

MMA Junkie reporter Nolan King is onsite, and you can follow him on Twitter (@mma_kings) for behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Official Bellator 241 results include:

MAIN CARD (Paramount Network and DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

Ricky Bandejas vs. Sergio Pettis
Jason Jackson vs. Jordan Mein
Tywan Claxton vs. Jay Jay Wilson
Aaron Pico vs. Solo Hatley Jr.

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8:45 p.m. ET)

Mark Lemminger vs. Jake Smith
Cass Bell vs. Raufeon Stots
Ras Hylton vs. Rudy Schaffroth

4 burning questions heading into Bellator 242

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the four biggest storylines ahead of Bellator 242 in Uncasville, Conn.

UFC on ESPN 10 features a card packed with up-and-coming talent looking to set themselves up for bigger tests later in the year.

Bantamweight contenders collide in the main event, as [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] takes on former UFC flyweight contender [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag], while the co-main event features the Bellator debut of former UFC veteran [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag], who will face fellow welterweight contender [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag].

Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and DAZN following prelims on YouTube and DAZN.

Let’s take a look at four burning questions heading into the event.

****

Which bantamweight contender will move one step closer to a title shot?

The Bellator bantamweight strap is up for grabs after Kyoji Horiguchi relinquished the title due to injury last year, and the winner of Friday’s main event is likely to punch their ticket for a shot at the unclaimed title later this year. The big question, of course, is which of Bellator 242’s headliners will move on to challenge for the gold?

Ricky Bandejas exploded to Bellator stardom when he knocked out James Gallagher in August 2018, but failed to capitalize on that momentum as he fell to back-to-back losses to Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix. Since then, however, Bandejas (13-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) has found his form once again and registered a pair of knockout wins over Ahmet Kayretli and Frans Mlambo to put himself right back into the title picture.

Now he faces Bellator new boy Sergio Pettis (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who announced his arrival in the promotion’s bantamweight division with an eye-catching first-round submission of Alfred Khashakyan at Bellator 238 in January – his first finish since his pre-UFC days back in 2013. Following his impressive debut, the former UFC flyweight contender will now look to defeat Bandejas and position himself for a shot at championship gold.

But who will leave the Mohegan Sun one step closer to a title shot? Will it be New Jersey knockout artist Bandejas, or will Pettis claim back-to-back Bellator victories to push himself to the front of the queue?

Next up: A veteran turns debutant in his 44th pro fight

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Bellator 242 predictions: Who gets the nod in bantamweight showcase?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 242 main card in Uncasville, Conn.

	Bandejas vs. Pettis	Jackson vs. Mein	Claxton vs. Wilson	Hatley Jr. vs. Pico
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 67-44	Pettis (63%)	Mein (66%)	Claxton (74%)	Pico (81%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 81-30	Bandejas	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 80-31	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 79-32	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 76-35 2014 Champion	Pettis	Mein	Claxton	Pico
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 75-36 2019 Champion*	Bandejas	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 75-36	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 73-38 2018 Champion	Bandejas	Mein	Claxton	Pico
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 73-38 2017 Champion	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 72-39	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 72-39	Pettis	Mein	Claxton	Pico
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 68-43	Pettis	Jackson	Wilson	Pico
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 67-44	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 67-44	Pettis	Jackson	Claxton	Pico
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 45-66	Bandejas	Jackson	Claxton	Hatley

After a long pandemic-related layoff, Bellator returns this week to its regular home on the East Coast.

Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the bantamweight main event between [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), former UFC flyweight contender Pettis received the lion’s share of the backing from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts. He also garnered 63 percent of the reader votes, too.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) proved a popular pick with our panel, with 11 of our 14 members selecting him to get the win over [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag] (31-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). However, Mein was the clear choice of our readers, with 66 percent siding with the Canadian.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) received almost universal backing in his featherweight clash against [autotag]J.J. Wilson[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), with 13 of the 14 panelists picking him to claim the victory.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) was equally fancied, with the talented featherweight strongly backed to defeat [autotag]Solo Hatley Jr.[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). However, Pico was even more popular with MMA Junkie’s readers, with a whopping 81 percent picking him to kick off Friday night’s main card with a win.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Pettis (63 percent), Mein (66 percent), Claxton (74 percent) and Pico (81 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above

Jordan Mein on switch from UFC to Bellator: ‘I basically got recruited’

Jordan Mein’s promotional debut are different than expected – but that doesn’t mean he’s not enjoying the ride.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The circumstances surrounding [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]’s promotional debut are different than expected – but that doesn’t mean he’s not enjoying the ride.

Despite co-headlining Bellator 242 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mein (31-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is relieved to finally be on the grounds during fight week.

“It feels great,” Mein told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’m excited to kick off this new chapter here.”

Mein had ups and downs during his five-year, nine-fight UFC career, where he went 5-4. After his July 2018 win over Alex Morono, Mein entered free agency. Soon after, he signed with Bellator.

“I basically got recruited, really,” Mein said. “It was a good opportunity for me and I took it really. I ended up having a couple knee surgeries. I blew my knee out a couple of times. That kind of took some time – then, the process of just getting all this done. It just took that much time. That’s kind of what happened. I was looking to get in there but this was just the time it took.”

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What made Mein choose Bellator over the UFC? After consulting his father, coach and manager, Lee Mein, felt he said the conclusion was reached that the upside was greater with Bellator.

“It was more of an opportunity,” Mein said. “My old man was talking with them and it all just came together. We kind of just made that decision.”

Mein makes his promotional debut against on Jason Jackson in the Bellator 242 co-main event. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card set to air on Paramount and stream on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. The fight between Mein and Jackson was originally targeted for May, but was delayed due to Bellator’s coronavirus-induced hiatus.

“We were supposed to fight in May and then obviously all this stuff kicked off,” Mein said. “I’ve been watching him for a little while – and watching his training videos with his coach there. It’s a tough opponent. I’ve been watching some of his fights in Bellator – and the LFA fights. I didn’t see his Contender Series fight but he’s a solid opponent. It’s going to be a good challenge.”

The Bellator welterweight title gold is in consideration when it comes to goals at his new home, but Mein said he hopes to put on entertaining fights along the way.

“I want to put on some exciting fights,” Mein said. “It’s easier said than done. We’ll see what happens on Friday here. I’m going to try to make that happen. Putting on exciting fights and really walking away after every single fight and being satisfied with myself and that I went in there and did my best.”

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Bellator 242: Jordan Mein pre-fight interview

Bellator 242: Make your predictions for Ricky Bandejas vs. Sergio Pettis

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 242 event in Connecticut.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 242 event in Uncasville, Conn.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 242 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Make your picks for all four main card fights inside:

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