The UFC might dominate the Mixed Martial Arts industry, but fans are hopeful that a new MMA promotion, Global Fight League, could be a breath fresh air in the combat sports scene.
With a much-improved fighter pay model and structure, there’s real optimism that the GFL could set a new standard in revenue split for MMA athletes worldwide – but what happens if this new model fails, and fails in spectacular fashion?
Kevin Lee says GFL success/failure will determine if MMA is ‘really a sport’
The Global Fight League is set to hold its first event in April 2025, with the promotion reportedly set to offer fighters a whopping 50% of the revenue share – significantly more than the 18% of total revenue that the UFC pays out to its athletes.
The GFL have also announced that a host of former UFC stars have already been signed to their roster, including Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Luke Rockhold, Alexander Gustafsson, Tyron Woodley, Benson Henderson, and Kevin Lee.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, former UFC title challenger Kevin ‘Motown Phenom’ Lee broke down how this new promotion, if successful, could revolutionize the MMA scene … And how it could fatally wound the ‘sport’ as a whole if it fails.
“If it works [then] f***** fantastic, but even if it doesn’t work, and if doing a 50-50 split with the fighters and the promotion doesn’t work and that’s what we see here, then it’s going to give transparency into what this sport actually is – and if it is an actual sport.
“If you can only pay guys 18% of the back end and that’s the only thing that works in this sport, well it’s not really a sport; that is more a bunch of poor guys fighting for billionaire’s chump change.”
Lee claimed that under the UFC model, the top athletes from around the world are simply competing for ‘tips’ since “18% is what you pay your waitress at Applebee’s,” and that the GFL will be a testing ground to see if 50/50 is even possible.
“So, I guess if that’s what it is, then that’s what it is – but I’m at least willing to put my life, my reputation, my career on the line to see the sport actually grow and do a little bit better.”
Whilst the GFL’s 50/50 revenue split has been widely praised by both fans and fighters, there are concerns that some of the top-heavier contracts could end up sinking the wider ship.
Only a few days ago, veteran MMA reporter Alex Behunin claimed that “someone on the GFL heavyweight roster signed a $1.4 million contract,” adding that “This promotion isn’t seeing the light of day.”
Retired UFC fighter Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown recently acknowledged that the UFC didn’t become the sports biggest promotion by being ‘fighter first’, they did so by lowballing fighters – and even then, almost went under.
“There’s only been one truly successful fight promotion in history, the UFC… They did not build it by helping fighters [and] I think that’s where they’re all kind of f**** up.
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“I say that as a former fighter, I want to see everybody get paid and do well, but the UFC built their business lowballing fighters and still almost went out of business.
“I find it hard to believe that making it a fighter-based, help the fighter promotion is really the way to build a promotion… I hate saying that because I love that they care about the fighters, I love the thought process behind it, but is that going to build a promotion? I have a hard time believing it.”
The first GFL show is reportedly set for April 4, 2025 – will this new promotion sink, or swim?