Tag: Stuart Austin

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.

Kayla Harrison starts quest for third PFL title in London – but not as the No. 1 seed

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

Two-time women’s lightweight season winner and No. 2 seed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (14-0) will headline the card against No. 3 [autotag]Martina Jindrova[/autotag] (6-2) in one of two semifinal fights in the division.

The other half of the bracket features No. 1 [autotag]Larisa Pacheco[/autotag] (17-4) vs. No. 4 [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (7-4). Pacheco, who lost to Harrison in the 2019 final, finished both her regular season fights in the first round for 12 points to earn the top seed. Harrison and Jindrova finished the regular season with 9 points, while Kolesnyk had 6 for the fourth playoff spot.

The event also features the two semifinal playoff bouts at featherweight. No. 1 seed [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-7) takes on No. 4 [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (22-7) and No. 2 [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-3-1) meets No. 3 [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (18-5).

The PFL’s third set of playoff fights take place Aug. 20 at Copper Box Arena in London. The four-fight main card of playoff matchups airs on ESPN. A four-fight set of prelims and four fights after the main card stream on ESPN+.

The playoffs open two weeks prior in New York with lightweights and light heavyweights. Then welterweights and heavyweights meet Aug. 13 in Cardiff, Wales.

“Heading to London is huge for the expansion of the league,” PFL president Ray Sefo stated. “We are bringing our brand of MMA to the U.K. and I’m sure they are going to be as excited as I am to see elite fighters like Kayla Harrison, Chris Wade and Brendan Loughnane compete with so much on the line.”

Harrison won the second of her two judo Olympic gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. Now she returns to the city a decade later.

In addition, the PFL announced the signing of muay Thai standout Dakota Ditcheva (5-0), a prized free agent from Manchester, England. The three-time muay Thai world champion is unbeaten early in her MMA career and is considered one of the sport’s top female prospects. Her mother, Lisa Howarth, was a world kickboxing champion.

“We are excited to add Dakota to the global PFL talent roster,” Sefo stated. “Dakota’s outstanding skill set and ability, along with her natural charisma, fit perfectly with the PFL brand of MMA. We believe the PFL is uniquely placed to take her journey forward on a global scale. Coming from a line of elite muay Thai practitioners, we have confidence in Dakota to go to the very top with the PFL and continue her family’s legacy.”

The PFL 2022 Playoffs 3 card includes:

POSTLIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hassna Gaber[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abraham Bably[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louie Sutherland[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tayo Odunjo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Magnus Onyeka[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kenji Bortoluzzi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ali Taleb[/autotag]

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET)

  • No. 2 Kayla Harrison vs. No. 3 Martina Jindrova – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Chris Wade vs. No. 4 Brendan Loughnane – featherweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Larisa Pacheco vs. No. 4 Olena Kolesnyk – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Ryoji Kudo vs. No. 3 Bubba Jenkins – featherweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Simeon Powell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nemanja Uveric[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sofiane Boukichou[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcin Held[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Myles Price[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandrs Chizovs[/autotag] vs. TBA

[vertical-gallery id=625516]

[listicle id=2560454]

2022 PFL 2 results: Bruno Cappelozza picks up where he left off, pounds out Stuart Austin for TKO

Bruno Cappelozza has proved to be one of PFL’s breakthrough stars since his promotional debut during the 2021 season.

[autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] won the whole shebang in 2021 and now he’s one step closer to repeating.

In the 2022 PFL 2 main event, Cappelozza (15-5) ground-and-pounded his way to a first-round TKO victory over [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (15-8) at the 4:24 mark. The event took place Thursday at Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

There was some brief clinching early in Round 1 before they separated. In response to pressure by Cappelozza, Austin shot for a takedown at around two minutes into the round. Cappelozza reversed and separated. A big overhand right stunned Austin, who tried to grab a leg. Cappelozza ended up on top, worked his way to mount, and finished the fight with punches.

The win earned Cappelozza six points in his season debut and extended his winning streak to five, with four knockout victories and a 2021 tournament title clinched over the course of the streak. Meanwhile, Austin enters a two-fight skid and has lost three of his most recent five fights.

The full 2022 PFL 2 results include:

  • Bruno Cappelozza def. Stuart Austin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:24
  • Chris Wade def. Lance Palmer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Brendan Loughnane def. Ryoji Kudo via technical decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Renan Ferreira def. Jamelle Jones via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:25
  • Denis Goltsov def. Cody Goodale via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:20
  • Ante Delija def. Matheus Scheffel via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:59
  • Bubba Jenkins def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Klidson Abreu def. Adam Keresh via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Sheymon Moraes def. Boston Salmon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Alejandro Flores def. Saba Bolaghi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[vertical-gallery id=345077]

[vertical-gallery id=2528224]

PFL 2022, Week 2 predictions: Who are our three unanimous picks in Texas?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL’s second event of the 2022 regular season, which features featherweights and heavyweights in Texas.

Austin
vs.
Cappelozza		 Palmer
vs.
Wade		 Kudo
vs.
Loughnane		 Ferreira
vs.
Jones		 Goltsov
vs.
Goodale
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
59-30		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza
(94%)		 palmer2022
Palmer
(55%)		 loughnane2022
Loughnane
(90%)		 ferreira2022
Ferreira
(89%)		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
(85%)
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
67-36		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
67-36		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
66-37
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 wade2022
Wade		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
65-38		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
65-38
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
64-39
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 jones2022
Jones		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Nolan King
@mma_kings
64-39		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 jones2022
Jones		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
63-40		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 jones2022
Jones		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
62-41		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 wade2022
Wade		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
59-44		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 wade2022
Wade		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
49-54		 cappelozza2022
Cappelozza		 palmer2022
Palmer		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 ferreira2022
Ferreira		 goltsov2022
Goltsov

The PFL is back for the second week of its 2022 season with featherweights and heavyweights on the bill.

PFL 2022, Week 2 takes place Thursday at Esports Arena in Arlington, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, 2021 heavyweight season champion [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (14-5) takes on [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (15-7). Cappelozza is a heavy betting favorite to start the season out with a win, and all 11 of our editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as one of three unanimous picks on the main card.

In the co-feature, two-time season champion [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (22-5) will try to get back on the right track at featherweight against [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (20-7). Wade came up short in the 2021 final. But Palmer has not won a fight since his 2019 title; he lost both his fights in 2021. Wade is a slight betting favorite, but it’s Palmer with a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

The second biggest favorite on the card is [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (21-4), who takes on [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (10-2-1) in a featherweight bout to open the regular season. Loughnane is one of our three unanimous picks.

[autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (8-2) meets [autotag]Jamelle Jones[/autotag] (12-7) in a heavyweight bout. Brazil’s Ferreira is as much as an 8-1 betting favorite, but he’s not a unanimous pick. Still, he’s got a sizable 8-3 lead from our staff pickers.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Denis Goltsov[/autotag] (27-7) is our third unanimous pick against heavyweight late-notice replacement [autotag]Cody Goodale[/autotag] (8-5). Goltsov is the biggest favorite on the card.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cappelozza (94 percent), Palmer (55 percent), Loughnane (90 percent), Ferreira (89 percent) and Goltsov (85 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

[vertical-gallery id=608624]

[vertical-gallery id=477010]

Brendan Loughnane, Lance Palmer among fighters set for 2022 PFL 2 card on April 28

PFL has announced the featherweight and heavyweight matchups for their second regular season show.

PFL has announced the featherweight and heavyweight matchups for its second regular season show.

2022 PFL 2 takes place April 28 at Esports Arena in Arlington, Texas and streams on ESPN+ and ESPN, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

The event will be headlined by reigning heavyweight tournament winner [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (14-5), who meets England’s [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (15-7). In the co-headliner, breakout star [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (21-4) will take on Japan’s [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (10-2-1).

The ESPN+ prelims will feature a matchup between former back-to-back featherweight tournament winner [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (22-5) and 2021 PFL finalist [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (20-7). Due to injury, reigning PFL featherweight champion Movlid Khaybulaev will not participate in the 2022 PFL season.

The 2022 PFL 2 lineup includes:

  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Stuart Austin
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Ryoji Kudo
  • Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel
  • Renan Ferreira vs. Jamelle Jones
  • Lance Palmer vs. Chris Wade
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Jo Sungbin
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Sam Kei
  • Ali Isaev vs. Klidson Abreu
  • Sheymon Moraes vs. Boston Salmon
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Saba Bolaghi

[vertical-gallery id=608624]

[vertical-gallery id=605552]

Japanese judoka Satoshi Ishii fights for Elite MMA Championship in Germany

Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii has his next MMA assignment.

Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Satoshi Ishii[/autotag] has his next MMA assignment.

Elite MMA Championship (EMC) officials today informed MMA Junkie that Ishii (23-11-1) will take on two-time Bellator veteran [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (14-6) at EMC 5 on Sept. 5 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The inaugural EMC heavyweight title will be on the line.

Launched in 2017, EMC is owned by Croatian brothers Ivan & Tomi Dijakovic, who own the UFD GYM in Dusseldorf and manage notable fighters such as Abus Magomedov, Antun Racic, Thiago Silva, Roberto Soldic and David Zawada, among others.

Ishii, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist judoka, last saw action in January, picking up a first-round submission win over Cleber Souza in Japan. In 2019, Ishii fought seven times, including three appearances for the PFL, as well as one-offs for Rizin and KSW.

Meanwhile, Austin has been fighting professionally since 2010 and fought twice under the Bellator banner in 2014. “He-Man” is also a former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) heavyweight champion.

Additional fights are expected to be announced shortly, and EMC officials have promised the card will include several UFC, PFL, and Cage Warriors. Global broadcast plans have yet to be finalized.