Global Fight League names Buenos Aires Gauchos roster for long-delayed December debut

The Global Fight League has announced the first wave of fighters signed to its Buenos Aires Gauchos team as the organisation moves toward a Dec. 18 inaugural event at Club Atletico Lanus in Argentina, where the Gauchos will face the Miami Monsters in what would be the GFL’s first-ever card.

The confirmed Gauchos roster so far includes middleweight Dante Romero (9-8), welterweights Matias Ponce (12-5, 1 NC), lightweights Franco Rios (4-0) and Thomas Juarez (6-2), featherweights Lionel Abojer (12-4) and Eduardo Cajal (9-5), bantamweight Ryan Martinez (9-1), and flyweight Nicolas Rodriguez (9-3). The league has indicated more fighters will be added to both rosters in the coming weeks.

Notably absent from the December card will be former UFC title contender Marlon Moraes, who had been linked to the Miami Monsters roster. Sources with knowledge of the event confirmed to MMA Fighting that Moraes will not compete on Dec. 18, though no further explanation was given.

The GFL generated significant attention earlier in 2025 by promising above-market athlete compensation and signing a string of recognisable names, including former UFC champions Tyron Woodley, Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Anthony Pettis, and Holly Holm. The league had originally planned to stage back-to-back events on May 24 and May 25, 2025, but both shows were cancelled before taking place.

The team-versus-team format the GFL intends to use has not yet been fully detailed publicly, though the league has released a scoring system for future events. The exact mechanics of how bouts will contribute to a team result remain to be clarified ahead of the December show.

With the Gauchos roster now taking shape and a venue confirmed, the GFL faces the task of converting its December announcement into a delivered event — something it has so far been unable to do since its high-profile launch.