Midnight Mania! GFL Founder Promises To Give The People What They Want: Dillon Danis!

01/29/2025 12:00 AM

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Nobody is quite sure what to make of upstart fight promotion Global Fight League (GFL).

On one hand, they've recruited quite a roster of well-known names and former champions. Simultaneously, most of them are older, semi-retired fighters. On the plus side, they're paying well, which is good for the athletes. Their draft fiasco was another knock against them, however, as the results leaked early and were generally a bit bizarre. Oh, and it heavily featured weird AI songs and a fake videos of the fighters in Spartan armor?

Until the promotion holds an event, nobody really knows what to expect. GFL founder Darren Owens recently spoke with Ariel Helwani and wanted to assure fight fans that the promotion was in the business of booking the best fights possible. His go-to example? Tony Ferguson (who has lost seven straight fights) vs. Dillon Danis (who lost to Logan Paul via DQ).

"We can make the fights that people want to see and we're listening to everybody," He explained. "Like Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis that may be something that will come to fruition. I'm a diehard MMA fan, I love the sport more than anything. I've always prided myself on making exciting matchups but also making matchups that people actually want to see. That's first and foremost what we're going to do, deliver the real fights people want."

Just for some additional context: Danis hasn't actually fought in professional MMA since 2019! He's also a career Welterweight, whereas "El Cucuy" was drafted as a Lightweight. Apparently, that doesn't actually matter that much though, per the founder himself. I'm reminded of the closing scene of Burn After Reading, in which nothing is learned and everyone is confused.

Hopefully, the first event of the GFL inaugural season will be illuminating ... whenever it takes place ... on whatever broadcasting platform hosts it. Rest assured, we will provide coverage for every strange step along the way!

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