Longtime MMA manager details GFL chaos, says promotion is 'asking fighters to compete for free'

Global Fight League is failing to grant its commitments to fighters successful the aftermath of caller lawsuit cancellations, according to longtime MMA manager Lloyd Pierson.

In a connection issued to Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani connected Thursday, Pierson, who represents aggregate fighters signed to the GFL, accused the enactment of failing to unrecorded up to promises made to fighters, causing them fiscal harm.

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"At its inception, GFL came connected the MMA country seeking attraction by promising fighters ample sums of money," Pierson wrote. "Many fighters relied connected these promises and, erstwhile GFL failed to deliver, person been financially harmed and forced to enactment successful prolonged combat camps for bouts that present volition not occur."

GFL precocious announced the cancellation of planned inaugural events scheduled for Los Angeles this month, insisting that the events whitethorn instrumentality spot successful June, portion citing backing issues. This was 1 of respective troubling shifts, according to Pierson, who, arsenic enforcement vice president and caput of combat sports for VaynerSports, represents aggregate GFL fighters including Urijah Faber, Chris Weidman, Tony Ferguson and others.

"GFL and their CEO Darren Owen began recruiting top-level fighters during the past fewer months of 2024, offering fighters ample fiscal purses and guaranteeing the quality to combat 3 times during the 2025 calendar year," Pierson wrote successful his connection to Uncrowned. "Relying connected these promises, galore fighters near erstwhile promotions and made different hard decisions for themselves and their families to prosecute the GFL opportunity."

According to Pierson, Owen attempted to code concerns astir the GFL's fiscal stableness by "circulating copies and photos of the GFL slope account, showing they had implicit $20 cardinal successful funding."

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Uncrowned reached retired to the GFL laminitis Owen, who said successful a substance connection that helium had requested impervious of funds from a superior investor.

"To bash so, helium transferred $20 cardinal into our slope relationship to beryllium helium had the funds," Owen wrote. "He transferred the funds retired of the relationship the aforesaid day. We had a monthly docket of funds typically successful the $200,000 per period scope that helium had been backing without contented until April. Whether it was the marketplace clang oregon him getting acold feet, helium did not fulfill his April work and subsequently halted our progress."

According to Pierson, the backing woes resulted successful immoderate fighters failing to person monthly stipends that were contractually guaranteed to them. This came with nary anterior warning, Pierson said, and has been accompanied by different abrupt changes successful GFL's assurances to fighters.

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"Now, with evident deficiency of backing for the GFL, Darren is asking fighters to vie for free," Pierson wrote. "He has circulated a papers showing a gross stock exemplary for the fighters — a implicit deviation from their contracted amounts. According to immoderate fighters, the GFL is projecting to marque astir $4 cardinal from this lawsuit astatine the debased end. Anyone who has been progressive with combat promotion knows that this is unrealistic and level retired not truthful. The information that these numbers are being circulated arsenic tenable estimates intelligibly demonstrates the disconnect betwixt the GFL, their audience, and the existent market."

The connection of a gross stock successful lieu of contracted wage was besides mentioned by erstwhile UFC combatant Alan Belcher, who connected his Instagram leafage this week referred to GFL arsenic "for deficiency of a amended word, a scam."

According to Belcher, aft the archetypal GFL lawsuit cancellation, Owen offered him "some gross stock and worldly if I would combat for not a guaranteed purse."

Owen told Uncrowned that a gross stock exemplary was 1 anticipation that has been discussed informally, but nary authoritative offers of that benignant were made.

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"In an effort to signifier an lawsuit arsenic soon arsenic possible, perchance with a little concern amount, we person explored antithetic approaches to achieving this," Owen wrote successful a substance message. "We person discussed the anticipation of fighters competing for gross oregon nett sharing, nevertheless we person not made immoderate decisions connected that nor person we made immoderate authoritative offers to anyone."

Owen said the GFL is successful "active dialog with a fig of investors," and plans to proceed with events "when we person secured the indispensable funds."

As for claims that fighters' stipends were chopped off, Owen said that those who were eligible for those payments had received them done the period of April.

"We bash person immoderate fighters that were receiving purse advances," Owen wrote. "I judge each that were eligible based connected their deliverables were successful information paid for April. As of present we person not breached immoderate of those agreements."

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In his statement, Pierson said that fighters were struggling with abrupt shifts successful not lone the presumption of their agreements with GFL, but besides the repeated changes surrounding lawsuit dates for GFL's inaugural shows.

"In January, GFL conducted an highly disorganized nationalist draught process, wherever the fig of teams was unexpectedly reduced from 8 to six. Prior to and instantly pursuing the draft, fighters were informed that the archetypal GFL lawsuit would instrumentality spot successful precocious April successful Los Angeles. Shortly aft that announcement, the GFL moved the inaugural lawsuit to May 11-12, which was confirmed successful authoritative letters to fighters and successful bout agreements.

"Following this change, Owen confirmed determination would perfectly beryllium nary much changes to this date. Again, reassuring fighters of upcoming bouts and to proceed with the strenuous camps. Recently, without anterior warning, Owen erstwhile again changed the lawsuit dates to May 24-25. During this period, immoderate fighters received bout agreements that did not align with their contracted amounts, portion others didn't person bout agreements astatine all," Pierson wrote.

According to Owen, the full wealth betwixt bout agreements and addendums "did adjacent the promotional statement amount" for each fighters.

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"Our extremity is to grant each agreements we person successful place," Owen wrote. "I don’t judge we person breached immoderate agreements arsenic of now. We person had 1 jock to day who has requested and received their release. We volition resume operations arsenic soon arsenic possible."

There has frankincense acold been nary authoritative confirmation of a day and venue for immoderate upcoming GFL events. Pierson called it "extremely alarming" that immoderate combatant would inactive see participating successful GFL bouts nether these conditions.

"Two pervasive problems successful the MMA assemblage person been mediocre practice and a deficiency of solidarity among fighters," Pierson wrote. "We, arsenic leaders successful the practice of fighters, indispensable proceed to combat for our clients, including educating them against accepting egregious deals specified arsenic that presented by the GFL. Additionally, the MMA assemblage indispensable basal unneurotic and admit that done solidarity we tin support each fighters against fraudulent and predatory behaviour by upstart combat promoters. These nonrecreational athletes indispensable admit their worthy and garbage to vie without just compensation.

"The GFL needs to unafraid morganatic backing if they privation to run successful the MMA space. Fighters should basal agreed successful refusing to judge specified attraction from emerging promotions."