Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley went first overall to Dubai in the inaugural Global Fight League draft Friday.
The 42-year-old American, whose record is 19-7-1, has lost his last four bouts and last fought in March 2021, but said he is ready to rumble.
"I'm excited. It's time to come back home," said Woodley, whose last outings were a pair of boxing losses to Jake Paul
The Global Fight League is a team-based mixed martial arts promotion that promises to share 50 per cent of the revenue from its shows with the competing fighters. It also promises to set aside a share of the revenue to the athletes for a retirement fund as well as insurance.
Former UFC lightweight Sage Northcutt went second to Los Angeles with London taking Dutch veteran Gegard (The Dreamcatcher) third. The 39-year-old Mousasi (49-9-2) has held world titles at middleweight or light-heavyweight in Bellator, Strikeforce, Dream and Cage Warriors.
Former UFC heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum went fourth and fifth to Miami and Sao Paulo, respectively. New York used the sixth pick on former UFC lightweight contender Kevin (The Motown Phenom) Lee to complete the first round.
Werdum is 47 and Dos Santos 40 while Lee is 32 and Northcutt 28.
Aspen Ladd was the first woman taken, in the second round (11th overall) by Los Angeles
Toronto's Anastasia Nikolakakos (5-0-0), who competes as an atomweight, and flyweight Randi (Rose City Phoenix) Field of Windsor, Ont., both went to Dubai.
Canadians Julia (The Jewel) Budd, Tanner (The Bulldozer) Boser, (Gentleman) Josh Hill and Mariusz (The Iron Pol) Ksiazkiewicz all landed in London.
Budd (17-6-0) is a former Bellator featherweight champion. The 41-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., last fought in June 2023 in the Professional Fighters League.
The 33-year-old Boser, a light-heavyweight from Bonnyville, Alta. who fights out of Edmonton, went 5-5-0 in the UFC and is 21-10-1 overall. Hamilton's Hill (22-7-0) is a 38-year-old bantamweight who fought seven times in Bellator. Winnipeg's Ksiazkiewicz is a 35-year-old middleweight with an 11-2-0 record.
Los Angeles took former UFC interim lightweight title-holder Tony (El Cucuy) Ferguson in the third round (14th overall) and former WEC featherweight champion Urijah (The California Kid) Faber in the fourth (23rd overall). Ferguson is 40 and Faber 45.
Ferguson (25-11-0) has lost his last eight bouts, albeit against elite opposition. Faber (35-11-0) last fought in December 2019 although he has competed in jiu-jitsu competitions recently.
L.A. also picked up former UFC champions in heavyweights Frank Mir and Andrei (The Pit Bull) Arlovski and light-heavyweight Rashad Evans. All three are 45.
Arlovski (34-24-0 with two no-contests) is still active in the UFC but has lost his last four outings. Evans last fought in January 2022 and Mir in October 2019.
More than 420 fighters were available in the draft — athletes who had signed contracts with the GFL but remained free agents if unchosen.
"From living legends to tomorrow's stars," the GFL said in describing its talent pool.
The organization, backed by an unidentified Silicon Valley entrepreneur, is the brainchild of Victoria's Darren Owen, the GFL's founder and commissioner.
The teams each chose two fighters for each of the promotion's 10 weight class (seven men's and three women's).
The GFL plans 18 regular-season events with each team fighting six times, to be followed by two semifinal events and the final. Each event will feature 10 fights.
The first show of the six-month season is set for April.
Teams will earn four points for a stoppage win, three for a decision win, two for a draw, and one for a decision loss. The top four will make playoffs.
Broadcast details have yet to be announced.
The GFL is not the first team-based MMA competition.
The International Fight League started in 2006 with former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton leading the Toronto Dragons. The IFL folded in 2008.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press