With each team required to select two fighters per weight class, and with budgetary restrictions in effect, the teams drafted their rosters via a snake draft format to set up the first-ever GFL season.
The historic first pick in the inaugural draft saw Team Dubai select former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, with Team Los Angeles selecting Sage Northcutt with their first selection.
Team London opened up their roster with European middleweight legend and former DREAM and Bellator champion Gegard Mousasi, while Miami went for former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos.
Team Sao Paulo followed suit by selecting a former UFC heavyweight champ of their own as they drafted Fabricio Werdum, while Team New York closed out the opening round with the selection of former UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee.
Other notable selections saw Chris Weidman picked with the seventh pick of the draft as he went to Team New York and his longtime coach Ray Longo, while former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will cross the pond to join Team London after being drafted in the eighth round by manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince.
The vast majority of selections were clearly made on a geographical basis, with Team London featuring predominantly European fighters, Team Los Angeles featuring mostly West Coast-baed talent, and Team Sao Paulo packing its roster with Brazilian stars.
But with the rosters now set, the fantasy matchmaking can begin, with the potential for a host of mouthwatering “legends” matchups, including some possible rematches, including Team Dubai’s Luke Rockhold vs. Team New York’s Chris Weidman in a rematch of their title fight at UFC 194, while Team London’s Henderson and Team Miami’s Anthony Pettis could potentially meet for the third time, with Pettis currently 2-0 up in the rivalry between the pair.
Check out the full roster lists for each team below.
Team Dubai
- Anastasia Nikolakakos (CAN) – women’s atomweight
Jessica Aguilar (MEX) – women’s atomweight - Faine Mesquita (AUS) – women’s strawweight
Randi Field (CAN) – women’s strawweight - Alexa Conners (USA) – women’s bantamweight
Arlene Blencowe (AUS) – women’s bantamweight - Farbod Iran Nezhad (IRN) – bantamweight
Timur Valiev (RUS) – bantamweight - Adilet Nurmatov (KYR) – featherweight
Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov (UZB) – featherweight - Damir Ismagulov (RUS) – lightweight
Tofiq Musayev (AZB) – lightweight - Abubakar Nurmagomedov (RUS) – welterweight
Tyron Woodley (USA) – welterweight - Derek Brunson (USA) – middleweight
Luke Rockhold (USA) – middleweight - Omari Akhmedov (RUS) – light heavyweight
Ronny Markes (BRA) – light heavyweight - Ali Isaev (RUS) – heavyweight
Todd Duffee (USA) – heavyweight
Team Los Angeles
- Cory McKenna (WAL) – women’s atomweight
Jessica Penne (USA) – women’s atomweight - Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (USA) – women’s strawweight
Cynthia Calvillo (USA) – women’s strawweight - Aspen Ladd (USA) – women’s bantamweight
Leslie Smith (USA) – women’s bantamweight - Ray Borg (USA) – bantamweight
Urijah Faber (USA) – bantamweight - Chad Mendes (USA) – featherweight
Tyler Diamond (USA) – featherweight - Sage Northcutt (USA) – lightweight
Tony Ferguson (USA) – lightweight - Lorenz Larkin (USA) – welterweight
Louis Glisman (DEN) – welterweight - Grant Neal (USA) – middleweight
Uriah Hall (USA) – middleweight - Da Woon Jung (KOR) – light heavyweight
Rashad Evans (USA) – light heavyweight - Frank Mir (USA) – heavyweight
Andrei Arlovski (BEL) – heavyweight
Team London
- Chiara Penco (ITA) – women’s atomweight
Kelly Staddon (ENG) – women’s atomweight - Josefine Knutsson (SWE) – women’s strawweight
Karolina Ozczarz (POL) – women’s strawweight - Julia Budd (CAN) – women’s bantamweight
Pannie Kianzad (SWE) – women’s bantamweight - Cameron Else (ENG) – bantamweight
Josh Hill (CAN) – bantamweight - Brett Johns (WAL) – featherweight
Mike Grundy (ENG) – featherweight - Benson Henderson (USA) – lightweight
Tim Wilde (ENG) – lightweight - Danny Roberts (ENG) – welterweight
Norman Parke (NIR) – welterweight - Gegard Mousasi (NED) – middleweight
Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (CAN) – middleweight - Alexander Gustafsson (SWE) – light heavyweight
Ilir Latifi (SWE) – light heavyweight - Stuart Austin (ENG) – heavyweight
Tanner Boser (CAN) – heavyweight
Team Miami
- Kayla Hracho (USA) – women’s atomweight
Natasha Kuziutina (RUS) – women’s atomweight - Hannah Goldy (USA) – women’s strawweight
Paige VanZant (USA) – women’s strawweight - Cat Zingano (USA) – women’s bantamweight
Mariya Agapova (KAZ) – women’s bantamweight - Eric Shelton (USA) – bantamweight
Marlon Moraes (BRA) – bantamweight - Andre Harrison (USA) – featherweight
Charles Rosa (USA) – featherweight - Anthony Pettis (USA) – lightweight
Jeremy Stephens (USA) – lightweight - Dilano Taylor (USA) – welterweight
Gleison Tibau (BRA) – welterweight - Hector Lombard (CUB) – middleweight
Yoel Romero (CUB) – middleweight - Philipe Lins (BRA) – light heavyweight
Thiago Santos (BRA) – light heavyweight - Robelis Despaigne (CUB) – heavyweight
Junior Dos Santos (BRA) – heavyweight
Team Sao Paulo
- Joice Mara (BRA) – women’s atomweight
Pamela Mara (BRA) – women’s atomweight - Camila Reynoso (ARG) – women’s strawweight
Viviane Pereira (BRA) – women’s strawweight - Alejandra Lara (COL) – women’s bantamweight
Paula Bittencourt (BRA) – women’s bantamweight - Raphael Assuncao (BRA) – bantamweight
Renan Barao (BRA) – bantamweight - Julio Arce (COL) – featherweight
Maike Linhares (BRA) – featherweight - Patricky Pitbull (BRA) – lightweight
Lucas Martins (BRA) – lightweight - Alex Oliveira (BRA) – welterweight
Carlos Petruzzella (ARG) – welterweight - Alan Patrick (BRA) – middleweight
Douglas Lima (BRA) – middleweight - Antonio Carlos Jr. (BRA) – light heavyweight
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (BRA) – light heavyweight - Bruno Cappelozza (BRA) – heavyweight
Fabricio Werdum (BRA) – heavyweight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdVqCi4f-IA
