Tag: Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee ‘in full training’ for potential GFL fight vs. Tony Ferguson, doubts Dillon Danis shows up

Kevin Lee says he’s in full training mode for a potential GFL fight against Tony Ferguson, as he doubts Dillon Danis will show up to fight.

MIAMI – [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] has a feeling he’ll end up rematching [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in a few weeks’ time.

Despite the two not having a booked bout, Lee thinks he’ll likely get the call to fight “El Cucuy” since he doesn’t see his opponent, [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag], showing up to their scheduled fight. GFL announced last month that Ferguson and Danis are set to meet in a lightweight bout at the inaugural event in May in Los Angeles. Lee has little faith that fight is happening.

“I don’t necessarily see that fight happening,” Lee told MMA Junkie. “I’m in full training right now. It’s Ramadan, so I’m fasting and training at the same time, and yeah, that’s the fight I think should happen, especially if they do it in L.A. or New York. But wherever they make the fight happen, I’m ready for it.”

Lee and Ferguson fought for the UFC interim lightweight title in 2017. In the UFC 216 main event in Las Vegas, Ferguson submitted Lee to win the belt. Since then, Lee has been wanting to run things back.

He fully expects Ferguson to be game for the first GFL event, but can’t say the same thing about Danis – which is why he sees his rematch possible.

“I get it. They want to get Tony a win,” Lee said regarding the Ferguson vs. Danis matchup. “I think that’s what it’s about, on top of kind of trying to capitalize on Dillon’s star. … It seems like Dillon never shows up to fight. He’s somebody who keeps his name in the media and does certain things that I don’t necessarily condone to keep his name in the media, but he never fights. He never shows up to fight.

“So is that Tony Ferguson fight going to happen? I seriously doubt it. They were saying he’s on Team New York. I’m on Team New York, and if that fight falls apart, I think it only makes sense that you make me and Tony again. That’s the fight that makes the most sense and the biggest fight GFL can put on.”

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Kevin Lee explains his side of sparring footage knockdown; says training partner has been banned

Kevin Lee is more upset with who posted the viral clip of him getting knocked down than the training partner who landed the punch.

UFC veteran [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] has addressed the viral video clip of him getting knocked down while sparring at Kill Cliff FC.

While Lee (20-8) still doesn’t know who is behind posting the footage to social media, he decided to address the situation in a selfie-style video to clear the air about what happened from his perspective.

“Alright, let me just address this once and leave it at that,” Lee started in a video posted to Instagram. “A lot of people been calling, and first of all, I’m fine. This is martial arts training. I’ve been training martial arts for 15 years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people get knocked out, submitted, arms broken, cut up – this is what we do. This is what happens into the gym.

“Whoever posted that video is a f*cking rat, a scumbag, a weasel – all of that. No honor, no respect, none of it. There’s certain codes that go on in these gyms that you just don’t break. Showing just a small clip like that for the world to see is one of them.”

“The Motown Phenom” included portions of the video to help explain what happened just before he was caught with a hooking punch that severely wobbled him. He said he had no intention on landing a flying knee that preceded the punch, but more importantly, he didn’t even know he was being filmed.

“And second, one of the hardest things to learn in martial arts is self-control,” Lee said. “So, anybody who has ever trained and knows what they looking at, can look at that clip and see I’m not trying to land the knee. That was deep into the session, and I don’t think my partner was liking the way things was going.

“He was a little hyped up and pissed off, but I wasn’t trying to land that knee. If you look at it, you can tell if I wanted to land the knee, I would have jumped into him. Instead, I jumped straight up and put the knee right in front of his face. When I landed, he threw a shot, and it’s all good. I wasn’t trippin’. This happened a minute ago. You can ask anybody; I wasn’t trippin’ on it. But what does piss me off is posting it without full context, without the full round in there and just leaving people who don’t know what the f*ck they looking at to make up their own stories.”

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Lee, 32, said he received word that the training partner in the video who’s identity has still not been confirmed publicly, has been banned from the gym after the video clip was posted to social media.

“Anybody who’s ever trained with me, or watch me train, knows my only goal in any training session is to make my training partner better, that’s it,” Lee said. “We professionals, and this is what we do to entertain the world and provide for our family. I hold that code to the utmost respect.”

Lee was recently added to the Global Fight League (GFL) roster and was drafted to Team New York, which is coached by Ray Longo. The 19-fight UFC veteran fought for the vacant interim lightweight title in 2017. He retired and returned to action, most recently competing in a submission victory over Thaigo Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 in September.

Despite the drama surrounding the viral video, Lee says it will be business as usual going forward.

“I’m not changing the way that I train because of this, and I’m gonna try to maintain my integrity, even though it pissed me the f*ck off, I ain’t gonna lie to you.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFx226CgWjy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Kevin Lee wants answers after leaked sparring footage shows rough knockdown

Video of Kevin Lee being dropped badly in sparring has surfaced – and he wants to know who’s responsible for sharing it.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] doesn’t know who released the footage, but he’s determined to find out.

On Tuesday, a clip went viral on social media that shows Lee (20-8) at Kill Cliff FC getting dropped after attempting a flying knee in sparring. Lee staggers to his feet, clearly dazed from the blow, and caught by former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

“Idk who posted that video or why but I’m heading right now to find out,” Lee wrote Wednesday in a post on X. “I can only blame myself for showing mercy and pulling my knee back but it’s training so I thought let me not blast him. I see I shouldn’t have been playing around with a guy like that. Since mfs wanna start showing sparring imma start showing sparrings from now on”

The origin of the video remains unclear. In the comments of one reposting that tallied over 1 million views, some commenters claimed the footage originated from the Instagram story of Magerram Gasanzade, an 11-1 Azerbaijani bantamweight who competed most recently for RIZIN.

Lee, 32, is currently rostered by Global Fight League (GFL). He’s retired and un-retired multiple times in recent years, openly discussing his up-and-down feelings toward fighting.

MMA Junkie Radio #3535: UFC vet Kevin Lee joins the show, GFL draft takeaways, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Monday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,535, the guys welcomed in guest UFC veteran [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]. They also discussed their takeaways from the GFL draft, and much more. Tune in!

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Kevin Lee interested to rematch Tony Ferguson in fledgling GFL

With GFL his new home, Kevin Lee hopes he can finally run things back with a former rival.

With GFL his new home, [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] hopes he can finally run things back with a former rival.

Lee (19-8) was one of many big-name signings with the Global Fight League (GFL), which officially launches its draft on Jan. 24. On the top of Lee’s wish list is [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who submitted him in their interim lightweight title fight in October 2017.

“The Motown Phenom” returned to the win column this past September at Lights Out Championship 17 when he submitted Bellator veteran Thiago Oliveira (17-12-1) in just two minutes.

“I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around,” Lee told “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday. “The one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson. He’s had his ups and downs in his career, but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship.

“That’s something that a lot of people can get behind, and that’s a fight that I really, really want. So, April 4 is the first event, we’re about four months out, I’m working everything, I’m working hard, and we’re going to put on a good fight.”

Ferguson is coming off a submission loss to Michael Chiesa this past August at UFC on ABC 7, where he suffered his eighth-straight loss – a company record. “El Cucuy” recently teased fight news, but did not mention where he’ll be competing.

With Dana White urging him to retire, Ferguson’s future with the UFC is unknown. However, Lee revealed that Ferguson could wind up with the GFL, too.

“Yeah, he’s in talks with them (GFL),” Lee claimed.

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Kevin Lee confused why UFC rejected offer to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series

Kevin Lee was willing to work his way back to the octagon, but the UFC wasn’t interested.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] was willing to work his way back to the octagon, but the UFC wasn’t interested.

Following a noteworthy first stint with the organization, Lee (19-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) re-signed with the UFC in 2023. He was quickly submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov in his return, and then announced his retirement. Just six months later, however, he walked back his decision.

“The Motown Phenom” hoped his UFC tenure would continue, and was even willing to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series – a show for prospects to get an opportunity at a UFC contract – to prove his worth. But despite Lee’s previous success in the octagon, he was denied the opportunity.

“I really want to compete,” Lee said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “For me, money isn’t necessarily the biggest issue. I said I’d take that fight for $5k on Contender Series, and I’ll fight the best contender that they feel they got out there. They weren’t interested in that. Why? I don’t know. I didn’t have much conversation with the UFC besides Sean Shelby, and he said he wasn’t really interested in doing something like that. When I talked to Ali (Abdelaziz), and he tells me anything about the UFC, he says they’re not interested at all.

“Why that is? I couldn’t tell you. I’ve been part of some of the biggest fights in UFC history. I finished off their Fox deal going into the ESPN deal, and I’m a pretty easy guy to work with. I feel like I’m professional, I do what I need to do, and I don’t rub too many people the wrong way. Why necessarily they didn’t want me to go on Contender Series to show that I’m still one of the top 155 pounders out there, I don’t know, but I’ll make sure that this next time, there is no doubt.”

Lee’s MMA career will continue under the Global Fight League (GFL) banner, which officially launches it’s draft on Jan. 24.

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Video: Is MMA’s newest player, the Global Fight League, set to fail or succeed?

Global Fight League has announced its launch. Will it work in MMA? We discuss on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

There appears to be a new player in town.

That’s right, a new MMA promotion has emerged, and it’s looking to put on fights at the top level. Global Fight League announced its launch last week, revealing that it will begin operations in early 2025 and will feature numerous notable names in the sport.

GFL’s roster includes names such as: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag], [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag], Frank Mir, [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], and [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and many others.

How strong is GFL’s roster? What names stand out? Could this promotion find success in a very difficult MMA industry?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss the announcement of the GFL launch, along with its initial roster.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/QvKtS8RXBbs

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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.

Video: UFC veteran Kevin Lee returns to win column with quick submission at Lights Out 17

Kevin Lee wants to make another run in the UFC, and picking up a two-minute submission win is a good start on that path.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] wants to make it back to the UFC for a third run, and is off to a good start with an impressive showing Saturday.

Lee (19-8) competed in his first fight since leaving the UFC for the second time after a submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov in just 55 seconds at UFC on ESPN 47 last July.

Saturday, Lee took on Bellator veteran Thiago Oliveira (17-12-1) at Lights Out Championship 17, and ended this fight with a tight rear-naked choke submission in just two minutes.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

The win is Lee’s first since winning a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46 in March 22, which came after Lee’s first run with the UFC.

Lee recently told MMA Junkie his plan is to make it back to the UFC. He was even willing to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series for another shot at the big stage, which would have been a unique scenario for a former UFC interim title challenger.

“The Motown Phenom” already has his next fight scheduled. He will take on Saul Almeida at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on Nov. 15.

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