It’s happening! The GFL is really happening!
Last month, the Global Fight League announced it was finally set to host its first event at Club Atletico Lanus in Buenos Aires on Dec. 18, showcasing its team-based MMA format with the Buenos Aires Gauchos welcoming the Miami Monsters to Argentina. And now, we know exactly what that looks like.
On Monday, GFL released the matchups for this debut event, though noticeably absent are any of the big names that GFL burst onto the scene with initially, including
Marlon Moraes, who was previously announced as part of the Miami team.
Of the fighters announced for the debut card, Grant Neal is probably the most well-known, having fought 10 times under the Bellator MMA banner.
Perhaps the most interesting revelation from this announcement is the weight classes involved in the event. GFL events feature 10 fights across 10 weight classes. In the initial incarnation of the promotion, that covered the traditional men’s weight classes of heavyweight through bantamweight, and three women’s weight classes of bantamweight, strawweight, and atomweight.
But for its debut event, GFL has switched things up. The promotion is no longer using a heavyweight or light heavyweight, instead maxing things out at 185 pounds. It also shifted welterweight down to 165 pounds, and added 160-pound and 150-pound catchweight divisions. On the women’s side of things, it removed the bantamweight division and shifted strawweight down to 110 pounds.
Check out the full lineup below.
Dante Romero (9-8) vs. Grant Neal (12-3) — 185 pounds
Matias Ponce (11-5) vs. Omar Morales (11-4) — 165 pounds
Franco Rios (4-0) vs. Ethan Burmingham (7-0) — 160 pounds
Thomas Juarez (5-2) vs. David Macias (6-0) — 155 pounds
Eduardo Cajal (9-5) vs. Jacob Diaz (6-2) — 150 pounds
Lionel Abojer (12-4) vs. Dustin Lampros (11-2) — 145 pounds
Ryan Martinez (9-1) vs. Kody Cook (6-0) — 135 pounds
Nicolas Rodriguez (9-3) vs. Corvan Allen (9-3) — 125 pounds
Nicole Artaza (5-3) vs. Pamela Mara (7-4-1) — 110 pounds
Julia Pareja (5-2) vs. Melissa Gomez (6-2) — 105 pounds
