United Fight League set to debut this week

The United Fight League (UFL) will hold its first-ever card on February 18, 2023, with a Grand Prix Quarterfinal fight card. The Grand Prix will take place at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, Arizona, and will feature 48 top competitors in six weight divisions from six different nations.

The victors of the first round will advance to the semifinals, which will take place on a different day after Saturday. Memphis will host the tournament's second part in a few months.

The most relevant subject of discussion with this new promotion, however, is health care, particularly health and life insurance, which every fighter on their roster is entitled to.

“The UFL fighters have a full PPO plan with United Healthcare. It provides the co-pays, the prescription refills, max deductibles,” Harrison Rogers, UFL President. “I have the ability to do this because I actually own a lot of other businesses where I have to provide health insurance to my employees. And so I’m able to then access that same ability for our fighters.”

Plans for the UFL and the recently established World Fighting League are similar. The WFL, like the UFL, will offer fighters a revenue share and plans to pay athletes half of the total annual revenue. Frank Mir, Rampage Jackson, and Tito Ortiz, all former UFC champions, will collaborate with UFL president Harrison J. Rogers to oversee the promotion and guarantee that competitors are treated fairly.

In 2023, the UFL will hold events in Memphis, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Next year, they intend to host an event somewhere in the UK.

Demarques Jackson, a former Bellator competitor, and Jared Gooden, a former UFC competitor, will square off in the main event of the UFL's debut event.