UFC veteran isn’t sold on GFL MMA having success: ‘I don’t know what they would be doing that’s different’

A one-time UFC title challenger has his doubts about the upcoming Global Fight League.

GFL has arrived, but many feel it’s been with a whimper. The promotion, which positions itself as a league, has signed a slew of aging names who were once relevant under the UFC banner. Some of those stars, such as UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans, denied ever signing up for GFL despite the fact that he was initially used for promotional material.

It hasn’t exactly been a smooth start for GFL before the league’s first event.

RELATED: GFL ANNOUNCES ‘LEGENDARY’ MATCHUP BETWEEN TONY FERGUSON AND DILLON DANIS

Anthony Smith Doubts GFL Finds Success

Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com recently got a chance to speak to UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith, who is set to retire from pro MMA competition after UFC Kansas City on April 26. “Lionheart” isn’t exactly buying what GFL is selling.

“It’s weird,” Smith told MMA Fighting. “I’m not totally sold on it yet. They’ve yet to hold an event and I don’t know anything about the promotion other than the fighters that they have signed. From what I hear just through the fighter grapevine, they’re paying crazy money. So I don’t suspect it’s going to be around that long.

“That old model has been tried over and over and over again and it doesn’t work. I don’t what they would be doing that’s different from what everyone else is done other than throw big money at old, aging fighters.”

GFL recently announced a matchup between former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson and the polarizing Dillon Danis. While Ferguson’s best days inside the cage are behind him, Danis hasn’t competed in pro MMA action since 2019. He had an infamous boxing match with Logan Paul, which ended in a DQ loss for Danis. “El Jefe” will be taking on KSI in a boxing match under the Misfits banner on March 29.