Culture Ex-Champ Tony Ferguson Reportedly Leaves UFC, Signs with MMA’s Newest Promotion - The Grandpa Fighting League has started.

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After 11 years and 24 fights under the UFC banner, Tony Ferguson is apparently moving on from the Octagon.

Many wondered what the future would look like for the former UFC interim lightweight champion, not having won since 2019, his last victory a TKO-stoppage over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. Ferguson's career hit a bit of a crossroads following his latest fight, where he suffered his eighth consecutive loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi in August.

Ferguson semi-retired from the UFC then and there, laying one glove down instead of the usual two that signifies a fighter's retirement.

GFL Signs Tony Ferguson​

Six months later and with no UFC fight announcements for Ferguson, the Global Fight League (GFL), a new MMA promotion that has signed dozens of ex-UFC fighters, announced on Friday that Ferguson was among the recent signees.

Considered one of the greatest lightweights of all time for his 12-fight tear through the division, Ferguson will compete at welterweight (170lbs) - the same weight class as when he won Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter.


The GFL isn't your normal MMA promotion, the new player investing in a draft format which begins today. Out of 420+ fighters, only 120 will be selected for a spot on 6 global teams. We'll see where each fighter lands soon enough, including 32-year-old UFC veteran Kevin Lee, a former foe of Ferguson's.


There are still questions about the legitimacy of the GFL, as the new promotion previously announced signings of several fighters who they never signed in the first place.

As of this writing, Tony Ferguson has not commented on the news of his signing.
 
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Oh boy, now Tony can get even more CTE. The guy’s brain is already mush, he’s going to shitting in diapers within the next 5 years. There’s reason why Daner isn’t giving you fights, it’s over, you’re beyond washed.
 
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Haven't watched any mma in a while but I'm not surprised he hasn't won anything since I stopped paying attention, he was one of my favorites to watch at one point so it sucks to see.
 
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And people at some point thought he was a threat to Khabib
My fucking sides

(poor dude though, loved the guy)
 
Saw this elsewhere and honestly had never heard of GFL before. I don't follow MMA like I used to, but surprised this is first I'd heard of them because I saw that they have built up an interesting roster

Rashad Evans
Anthony Pettis
Tyron Woodley
Luke Rockhold
Andre Arlovski
Frank Mir
Alexey Oleinik
Kevin Lee
Greg Hardy
Cynthia Calvillo
Cat Zingano
Yoel Romero
OSP
Thiago Santos
Shogun
Gustafsson
Werdum
Cigano
Todd Duffee
Mousasi
Hector Lombard
Marlon Moraes
Uriah Hall

I like Ferguson, he had a brutal run and I feel bad for how it panned out for him. Hopefully he can get some W's
 
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VanyaMotorbike said:
Saw this elsewhere and honestly had never heard of GFL before. I don't follow MMA like I used to, but surprised this is first I'd heard of them because I saw that they have built up an interesting roster

Rashad Evans
Anthony Pettis
Tyron Woodley
Luke Rockhold
Andre Arlovski
Frank Mir
Alexey Oleinik
Kevin Lee
Greg Hardy
Cynthia Calvillo
Cat Zingano
Yoel Romero
OSP
Thiago Santos
Shogun
Gustafsson
Werdum
Cigano
Todd Duffee
Mousasi
Hector Lombard
Marlon Moraes
Uriah Hall

I like Ferguson, he had a brutal run and I feel bad for how it panned out for him. Hopefully he can get some W's
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Some of these guys have denied being signed by them. Whole thing reads as some kind of scam.
 
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The GFL seems more like pro-wrestling than MMA or like an expanded version of UFC's Ultimate Fighter but with old guys. They are recruiting alot of really guys like Frank Mir who are pushing 50 and its all centered around a weird "team" concept.

They are bragging about signing hundreds of fighters out of which maybe around 100 will actually be drafted on teams. So there will be no way to know which fighters are actually involved until it happens.

The history of old guy MMA is not encouraging. There was Gracie/Shamrock III, there was Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell.

The only encouraging thing about GFL is that they didn't sign Tito Ortiz, Fedor or (help us) Ken Shamrock. And that Kimbo Slice is no longer alive.

I really want them to reach out to Don Frye, Tank Abbot and Kimo Leopoldo though.
 
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I don’t know who or what GFL is, but they’ve been on an absolute tear in recruiting people as of late. My MMA feed has been blowing up with former Bellator champs, like Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and others signing up. Hopefully this isn’t a huge scam.

Also, if not fake and gay, RIP to the only sensible fight to make for Tony… another fight with Cowboy if word of his return to the UFC is true. That was his last win lol… 2019?

Edit: also, come check out the MMA thread. @Osama Bin Laden and I were jacking off in real time during the Jiri v Hill fight
 
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Looney Troons said:
Edit: also, come check out the MMA thread. @Osama Bin Laden and I were jacking off in real time during the Jiri v Hill fight
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okay well not like literally jacking off, but we were both extremely erect at the time and happen to climax when jiri got the W (https://kiwifarms.st/threads/mma-ufc-general.48597/post-20357299)
1737736036689.png
 
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Mordecai 3 Finger Brown said:
I didn't even realize that Ortiz fought Liddell for a third time in 2018. I guess third time was the charm.

Ortiz lost title challenge in 2006 against Chuck was the first UFC event I ever watched IIRC.
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Its on YT if you are interested. But its not worth watching. It was a vanity fight for Tito and Chuck had no business being in there.

There is even sadder stuff out there.

- Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock in Bellator comes to mind.

I didn't think Ken could fall any further than that fight. But then he went back in against Royce Gracie to settle everything and Royce, being Royce, smashed Shamrocks balls for the win. And Bellator said that was perfectly fine.
 
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Old people fighting in the octagon? Finally some entertainment specifically tailored for Mike Stoklasa!
 
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Osama Bin Laden said:
Considered one of the greatest lightweights of all time for his 12-fight tear through the division, Ferguson will compete at welterweight (170lbs) - the same weight class as when he won Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter.
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So the plan is for Tony to fight bigger, heavier guys who hit even harder after Gaethje and Chandler both dusted him? His brain was never quite factory spec, but I can't imagine taking more punches (or kicks from Muscle Milk Mike) is going to make it better.

GFL seems like a scam and if they somehow do put on events, it will fold hard.
 
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Pentex said:
So the plan is for Tony to fight bigger, heavier guys who hit even harder after Gaethje and Chandler both dusted him?
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Its a team and weight-class fighting league. He is listed as a lightweight and would presumably fight their other lightweights:

Sage Northcutt
Kevin Lee
Anthony Pettis
Tim Wilde
Benson Henderson
Jeremy Stephens
Patricky Pitbull
Lucas Martins
Kevin Lee
Sidney Outlaw
Tofiq Musayev
Damir Ismagulov

I think the whole GFL will fold up reasonably quickly. MMA doesn't need a weird senior league.
 
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