The Global Fight League has announced the opening roster for its Buenos Aires Gauchos team ahead of its inaugural event on Dec. 18 at Club Atletico Lanus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Gauchos will face fighters from the Miami Monsters. Named so far are Dante Romero, Matias Ponce, Franco Rios, Thomas Juarez, Lionel Abojer, Eduardo Cajal, Ryan Martinez and Nicolas Rodriguez, with more fighters and the Monsters roster still to be announced. Marlon Moraes, recently added to the Miami roster, will not compete on the Dec. 18 card.
The Global Fight League has revealed the first eight names on its Buenos Aires Gauchos roster ahead of the promotion's inaugural event on Dec. 18 at Club Atletico Lanus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, MMA Fighting reported. The Gauchos will take on fighters from the Miami Monsters in the team-format relaunch card.
Named so far for Buenos Aires are Dante Romero, Matias Ponce, Franco Rios, Thomas Juarez, Lionel Abojer, Eduardo Cajal, Ryan Martinez and Nicolas Rodriguez. The league says more Gauchos fighters will be added, and the Miami Monsters roster has yet to be revealed.
One notable name will not be part of the show. Marlon Moraes, recently added to the Miami roster, is not set to compete on the Dec. 18 card.
Moraes, a 38-year-old Brazilian who trains out of American Top Team, holds a record of 23-10-1. The orthodox bantamweight stands five-foot-six (168 cm) with a 67-inch (170 cm) reach. His career numbers show a 40 percent striking accuracy and 3.37 significant strikes landed per minute, along with 0.87 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.3 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
His recent form is a factor for any future booking. His three most recent recorded fights were all losses by knockout or technical knockout: Rob Font in the first round on Dec. 19, 2020, Merab Dvalishvili in the second round on Sept. 25, 2021, and Song Yadong in the first round on March 12, 2022. That is a run of three straight stoppage defeats, with the most recent recorded bout more than four years before this announcement.
Why it matters
- The Dec. 18 card marks the league's first event, so the Gauchos' opening eight give an early look at how GFL is building its home-team rosters.
- Both rosters remain incomplete, and the Monsters' lineup has not been named, so the full matchups are still unknown.
- Moraes joining Miami without fighting in Buenos Aires suggests his role with the Monsters may come at a later date.
The league has not yet said when the remaining Gauchos fighters or the Monsters roster will be announced.
