Werdum, Cigano, Wanderlei and Other Brazilians Reinforce MMA League With New Format in 2025; Understand

Cigano, Werdum, Wanderlei and other Brazilians reinforce new MMA league with unprecedented format in 2025. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage

Cigano, Werdum, Wanderlei and other Brazilians join new MMA league. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage

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New MMA organization, the Global Fight League (GFL) promises to shake up the sport's scene with an innovative concept and a strong roster. Created by Darren Owen, the league announced the presence of seven former UFC champions on its team, with the start scheduled for April 2025. The information was released on the program 'The Ariel Helwani Show'.

Fabrício Werdum , Junior Cigano , Wanderlei Silva , Thiago Marreta , and Marlon Moraes are some of the big names in the new company (see the complete list below). Luke Rockhold , Tyron Woodley , Anthony Pettis , Ben Henderson , and Andrei Arlovski will also be in the first edition of the GFL, which aims to break barriers with a unique proposal: a team-based, season-based competition with 15 events throughout the year.

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“We want to create stories and narratives that have never existed in MMA, like seeing these big names together as a team or imagining what it would be like if they were opponents,” Owen said.

League format with 120 fighters

The league's new format seeks to bring MMA closer to team sports, something that is unprecedented for the sport. Instead of fighting individually, athletes will be divided into six teams, with 120 fighters in total, who will compete on a points system throughout the season.

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Each team will consist of 20 athletes spread across 10 weight classes, with two people per division. The season will begin in April 2025 and culminate in November with the finals, after three playoff events.

Global Fight League introduction video pic.twitter.com/oeZNp44mOA

— Global Fight League (@mmagfl) January 16, 2024

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Distribution of 'bags' at the event

The main innovation of the GFL will be the competitive team environment, which will create new dynamics in the sport. The bet is that this will increase the appeal of MMA, creating rivalries and alliances between fighters, as well as providing new possibilities for betting and audience engagement. The team model is a reflection of the success that the idea has had in other sports, such as soccer, basketball and American football.

Additionally, the organization will move away from some of the traditional standards of major leagues, such as the UFC. In the GFL, there will be no bonuses for wins; fighters will be guaranteed a pre-determined paycheck, with progressive increases with each fight.

The company will also adopt a more equitable distribution of revenues generated by media, sponsorships and tickets, with 50% of the total going to a fund shared among the athletes. This means that, in addition to the fixed payment, the fighters will have a direct share of the organization's profits, with 8% going to the retirement fund and 2% for insurance.

GFL Scoring System

Another point that draws attention is the adjustments in the weight categories. To avoid excess weight cutting, the GFL established lighter and more diverse divisions, such as the women's strawweight category (54,4 kg) and bantamweight (up to 65,7 kg). The divisions range from 54,4 kg to 120,2 kg, creating a wider range for fighters.

The season's points system will be crucial in determining the best teams and, consequently, the decisive playoff matchups. Wins by knockout or submission will be worth 4 points , while wins by decision will be worth 3 points . Draws are worth 2 points , and losses by decision and submission are worth 1 and 0 points, respectively. At the end of the regular season, the four best teams advance to the playoffs.