GFL draft results: Ex-UFC champion overall No.1 pick, Tony Ferguson joins team Los Angeles, Chris Weidman seemingly unretires, and more

The 2025 Global Fight League (GFL) Draft saw six city-based teams build their rosters from a pool of 500 fighters. Tyron Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion, was the No. 1 overall pick by Team Dubai. Other highlights included Tony Ferguson joining Team Los Angeles and Chris Weidman seemingly coming out of retirement to join Team New York.

The draft included 120 athletes across 10 weight classes, with modified divisions to address weight-cutting concerns. Teams are coached by MMA legends such as Cain Velasquez (Dubai), Wanderlei Silva (Los Angeles), and Lyoto Machida (Sao Paulo). Notable picks included Gegard Mousasi (London), Junior Dos Santos (Miami), and Fabricio Werdum (Sao Paulo).

Team rosters revealed a mix of experienced veterans and rising prospects. Team Los Angeles added Aspen Ladd, Urijah Faber, and Sage Northcutt, while Team Miami secured Anthony Pettis, Yoel Romero, and Kayla Hracho. Holly Holm, Kevin Lee, and Chris Weidman strengthened Team New York, while Team Dubai landed Derek Brunson and Luke Rockhold.

The GFL season launches in April, featuring regular season, semi-finals, and finals. With a focus on team-based MMA and innovation, GFL aims to reshape the sport.

Check out the full teams after the inaugural GFl draft below:

Team Dubai	Team Los Angeles	Team London
Anastasia Nikolakakos (atomweight)	Cory McKenna (atomweight)	Chiara Penco (atomweight)
Jessica Aguilar (atomweight)	Jessica Penne (atomweight)	Kelly Staddon (atomweight)
Faine Mesquita (strawweight)	Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (strawweight)	Josefine Knutsson (strawweight)
Randi Field (strawweight)	Cynthia Calvillo (strawweight)	Karolina Owczarz (strawweight)
Alexa Conners (bantamweight)	Aspen Ladd (bantamweight)	Julia Budd (bantamweight)
Arlene Blencowe (bantamweight)	Leslie Smith (bantamweight)	Pannie Kianzad (bantamweight)
Farbod Iran Nezhad (bantamweight)	Ray Borg (bantamweight)	Cameron Else (bantamweight)
Timur Valiev (bantamweight)	Urijah Faber (bantamweight)	Josh Hill (bantamweight)
Adilet Nurmatov (featherweight)	Chad Mendes (featherweight)	Brett Johns (featherweight)
Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov (featherweight)	Tyler Diamond (featherweight)	Mike Grundy (featherweight)
Damir Ismagulov (lightweight)	Sage Northcutt (lightweight)	Benson Henderson (lightweight)
Tofiq Musayev (lightweight)	Tony Ferguson (lightweight)	Tim Wilde (lightweight)
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (welterweight)	Lorenz Larkin (welterweight)	Danny Roberts (welterweight)
Tyron Woodley (welterweight)	Louis Glismann (welterweight)	Norman Parke (welterweight)
Derek Brunson (middleweight)	Grant Neal (middleweight)	Gegard Mousasi (middleweight)
Luke Rockhold (middleweight)	Uriah Hall (middleweight)	Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (middleweight)
Omari Akhmedov (light heavyweight)	Da Woon Jung (light heavyweight)	Alexander Gustafsson (light heavyweight)
Ronny Markes (light heavyweight)	Rashad Evans (light heavyweight)	Ilir Latifi (light heavyweight)
Ali Isaev (heavyweight)	Frank Mir (heavyweight)	Stuart Austin (heavyweight)
Todd Duffee (heavyweight)	Andrei Arlovski (heavyweight)	Tanner Boser (heavyweight)

Team Miami	Team Sao Paulo	Team New York
Kayla Hracho (atomweight)	Joice Mara (atomweight)	Bi Nguyen (atomweight)
Natasha Kuziutina (atomweight)	Pamela Mara (atomweight)	Marisa Messer-Belenchia (atomweight)
Hannah Goldy (strawweight)	Camila Reynoso (strawweight)	Melissa Amaya (strawweight)
Paige VanZant (strawweight)	Viviane Araujo (strawweight)	Miao Ding (strawweight)
Cat Zingano (bantamweight)	Alejandra Lara (bantamweight)	Holly Holm (bantamweight)
Mariya Agapova (bantamweight)	Paula Bittencourt (bantamweight)	Liana Jojua (bantamweight)
Eric Shelton (bantamweight)	Raphael Assuncao (bantamweight)	Jimmie Rivera (bantamweight)
Marlon Moraes (bantamweight)	Renan Barao (bantamweight)	Zviad Lazishvili (bantamweight)
Andre Harrison (featherweight)	Julio Arce (featherweight)	Lance Palmer (featherweight)
Charles Rosa (featherweight)	Maike Linhares (featherweight)	Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)
Anthony Pettis (lightweight)	Patricky Freire (lightweight)	Sidney Outlaw (lightweight)
Jeremy Stephens (lightweight)	Lucas Martins (lightweight)	Kevin Lee (lightweight)
Dilano Taylor (welterweight)	Alex Oliveira (welterweight)	Neiman Gracie (welterweight)
Gleison Tibau (welterweight)	Carlos Petruzzella (welterweight)	Dillon Danis (welterweight)
Hector Lombard (middleweight)	Alan Patrick (middleweight)	Phillip Hawes (middleweight)
Yoel Romero (middleweight)	Douglas Lima (middleweight)	Chris Weidman (middleweight)
Philipe Lins (light heavyweight)	Antonio Carlos Junior (light heavyweight)	Devin Clark (light heavyweight)
Thiago Santos (light heavyweight)	Mauricio Rua (light heavyweight)	Ovince Saint Preux (light heavyweight)
Robelis Despaigne (heavyweight)	Bruno Cappelozza (heavyweight)	Fabricio Werdum (heavyweight)
Junior Dos Santos (heavyweight)	Fabricio Werdum (heavyweight)	Aleksei Oleinik (heavyweight)

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GFL draft: Everything you need to know about the organization and the league

The Global Fight League (GFL) seemingly aims to transform the world of MMA with its unique, athlete-first model, ensuring a fair, more supportive environment for fighters.

Unlike traditional promotions, the GFL plans to introduce a true team-based structure, where athletes become equitable partners, earning 50% of the revenue from events. The league’s structure includes comprehensive athlete support, from training resources to medical assistance.

A standout feature of the GFL is its commitment to athletes' long-term well-being. Fighters will reportedly benefit from a structured retirement fund, health insurance, and injury coverage. The league also aims to offer global exposure, opening doors for athletes to gain sponsorships and build their brands.