Unfortunately we have a saying in this business “Card Subject Change”, as promoters, we all, put that saying at the bottom of promotional items to let everyone know that changes can occur. However in any business if you don’t take pride in what you do that will be easily seen by all that come in to contact with you. When somebody is fortunate to do what they love for a living, that is easily recognized by the pride that they put into to their work. We at the GFL love being part of the fight business and take great pride in everything we put out. This is easy for us because we work hard at it, much like the men that fight for us.
As many of you may or may not know, GFL 5 “Resolution” has been plagued with injuries since, day one. Over the course of the last month- we have lost nine fights total. Eight of the fights lost have been due to injury. Four of the fights on the card were heavily promoted online and touted to be the features of the night. We at the GFL felt, after many hard hours of deliberating, that it would not be fair to our fans to put on a show that did not include even one of the fights that we had promoted. While we know that everyone that would come is a fight fan and would have a great time regardless. We felt in some ways this may be viewed as false advertisement, so we made the decision, contrary to some unconfirmed rumors, To cancel the actual show GFL 5 “Resolution” , however we would not be cancelling the remaining fights on the card- just postponing them under a different show name, and a different venue so there would not be any confusion about what fans were coming to see. We of course owe this obligation to fighter’s that have trained hard for the event- and their fans. Fortunately we have formed such good relationships with our fighters in the last year. They have all been very understanding and supportive of this situation. We first and foremost would like to thank them for that because we know that without the fighters there is no show!
In these tough economic times we know that it is very difficult financially for fight fans to see every show. As a fan you don’t always know what your going to get for your money. While we know that fights were happening long before, there were people willing to pay to come watch them, we certainly cannot do this with out the fans! The fans enable us to do the job we love so much. That is why the GFL is excited to announce that we will be organizing a show simply entitled “Proving Grounds” on February 5th at the Wonderland Ballroom in Revere, Mass.
Just to let everyone know how much we appreciate them understanding the postponement of our January event:
Tickets for the February 5th event will be just $25 and If you know someone that has been to a GFL show ask them about our production it is second to none, we are sure that you will not be disappointed .
Rick
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 8:25 PM:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Feb 5th event is an all amateur event, right? All of the pro fights that were still scheduled to happen on Jan 22 have been moved to the March event, not Feb 5. Is that accurate?
Bonnell
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 9:58 PM:
I will correct you. The event on Feb 5th is not all amateur. it will be a pro-am card. for more information visit our website, the poster is already up.
So in closing, it was unfortunate that we had so many injuries to our fighters that we could not control. It left us under the legal limit to hold a show in NH. The GFL does not want to put out a show that we have been advertising 3 title fights for 3 months and have no title fights because of all the injuries in those fights. Nor do we want to dissapoint our fans with just 5 or 6 fights when they come to see 12-13 highly anticipated promoted fights. The fighters have all been offered to fight on either the march 13th or Feb 5 th card (our next 2 dates).
Rick
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 10:28 PM:
Thanks for correcting the rumor, Dan. I had heard it was all amateur, guess I heard wrong. Can you tell us any of the fights booked for Feb 5?
Bonnell
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 10:44 PM:
I have to check with Scott Millette before i post any of the fights. But i can tell you they will be good fights and a lot of new talent will be coming out of GFL this year. Our March 13th card looks pretty solid as well.
Brawler2105
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 11:08 PM:
GFL 5 looked pretty solid and its not happenin now. I guess I will see you there as long as the guys on the poster don’t get hurt and you cancel the show again.
Scott Millette
on Jan 19th, 2010
@ 11:43 PM:
This will be a fun night of fights with tickets $25-35$ how can u go wrong-
You know this is a dangerous sport and things don’t always work out – the way u would like when that unforeseen element is part of your daily routine. I had two friends in the last three weeks get bumped from the Olympic snowboarding squad due to injury. One is in a coma and the other won the dew tour Saturday and broke his back on Sunday, he was probably gonna win the gold medal. But, when u wanna be the best you push limits and personal boundaries, that is dangerous!
Justin Hammerstrom
on Jan 20th, 2010
@ 7:17 AM:
Sorry too hear the news. The GFL has proven themselves too put on great shows. I remember the first show thinking what a cluster F$CK it was And thinking they won’t survive. But the prevailed and now the shows are great. The GFL has a great team. Good luck to Scooter,Mike, Dan and all the other GFLers. Looking foward to the next show. And thanks for not being the One Hit Wonder Promoter.
Rainman
on Jan 20th, 2010
@ 9:50 AM:
I agree with Justin, Ive been to 2 GFL shows and they have been the best shows ive been too. They do the best job promoting their fighters, and it seems like every show they just get bigger. I look forward to the next show!
John Fain
on Jan 20th, 2010
@ 10:47 AM:
GFL puts on great shows. Over a short period of time they have helped many young fighters become known across New England. I am looking forward to the February and March shows.
Dlauphlin
on Jan 20th, 2010
@ 1:32 PM:
This is BS! Scott Millette and Dan Bonnell should be banned from MMA all together ! They cancel the show three days before event and don’t pay the fighters Yes you heard me right they did not pay the fighters, not even their show money, three days before the event
all because the did not have enough ticket sales to make a big profit
that’s BS
The fans get screwed, the fighters get screwed and Bonnell and Millette announce another show just 15 days later in Mass and pretend like nothing ever happened
another lousy promoter
the NH commission should ban them from running shows altogether
Dominic Kane
on Jan 20th, 2010
@ 7:09 PM:
GFL is a reputable Promotion and will do well, I can say this with confidence. If you know me im not the most generous person when it comes to having much to say about the promotions around here. I’ve attended them all at least once and GFL is a top 3 promotion in NE.
fightfan123
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 6:56 AM:
I can’t believe what i am hearing. GFL can’t make money so they cancel there fight, leave everyone in the lurch, fighters who trained there GUTS OUT fans etc. They give everyone some BS excuses, while they slander the WORLD, under their names and fake names, friends names, friends fake names and so on and so on. We all know whats going on, but they think were all DUMB? Are you kidding? Dan,Scott and all the rest you should be ASHAMED! Then you guys open up a new show and lower the prices out of desperation and you expect us to support you? ARE YOU SERIOUS? MMA has had enough! I don’t know if the XCFL is the next coming or not, But can’t be worse then you SCUM BAGS! So lets hope that they are for real and they and the WCF will get my money and you guys just FADE AWAY.
Chocolate
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 7:02 AM:
Sucks to hear, the Gfl crew are a bunch of great guys, not including that Bonnell guy…Dlauphlin you are an idiot. Yes i you heard me right, i’ll be the first to say it.
Tim B
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 9:56 AM:
Kudos to GFL on doing the right thing… Dlauphlin- they could have put on a shitty show and made lots of money. They decided not to put on a shitty show… From what I hear most of the fighters were rescheduled to Feb 5th… Look at the ticket prices for that show…They are $35 for front row… I would say they are not “all about” the money.
I think GFL is a top notch promotion and does the right thing…
Tim B
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 9:57 AM:
Oh I agree Bonnell sucks….lol
)
Scott Millette
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 8:12 PM:
I understand that some people are upset that the show was cancelled, I apologize for that! We have done the best we can to place the fighters that were still fighting. Many people feel that we made the right decision, if it not one of them that’s fine; I respect and acknowledge your opinions. People that truly know us no that we- are not scumbags; I have worked day and night on this labor of love for the last year- and I will continue to do so. We have not been gifted anything, or assumed that we deserve respect that we have not yet earned. I have put this show together to make up for loss to the fighters and the fans. If we have lost you as a fan I’m sorry to hear that- but respect your reasoning, just remember there is always a difference between what you’ve heard and what you know! For those that still believe in our vision and word see you feb 5th
Brawler2105
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 9:39 PM:
You’re going to have to talk a little more about the fights and a little less about respect and your vision to get fans like me back to your show. When are you announcing fights? I don’t go to your shows for your cute videos. If I want to watch videos I’d spend an hour on youtube. The show is two weeks away and the only guy I recognize on your poster is the bearded kid that lost to Matt Smith. No disrespect to the bearded kid but I only remember him because he looks like MR T. Is anyone fighting on this show that I have heard of?
Tim B
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 10:09 PM:
I like how the GFL are scumbags because fighters dropped out of their show. I dont think people understand. They could have booked 1 more fight and put on the January show. They could have made TONS of money because most of the “name” fighters dropped out. They would have had a lot less overhead, payroll, same crowd. They decided not to put on a subpar card. They decide that they would put on a different show and start to promote some “new” fighters. With that in mind they have their front row prices almost $100 less than some of the promotions. So if people think that is shady that is their opinion. I commend them for doing the right thing.
Kerrigan
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 10:46 PM:
This cancellation had nothing to do with ticket sales, it is about the fighters who were advertised as fighting not being able to fight, and the GFL deciding that putting on a quality show was more important than trying to make a few bucks. I have worked with most of the local promoters on one card or another and I can say without reservation that the GFL guys are qulaity people who care about the sport and their fans. If people knew how much “stuff” happens behind the scenes for all fight shows they would be amazed that any quality cards ever happen at all!
Give these guys a break, nobody worked harder to try to make this happen than Scott, Dan, Mike and the rest of the GFL staff.
Reep
on Jan 21st, 2010
@ 11:15 PM:
The GFL puts on a great show!! We’ve fought for them on 2 seperate occasions, and we never had any problems. It’s unfortunate for all that this cancelation happened, but it sounds like they are trying to do right, and get the fights on the Feb. 5 card. Hopefully all goes well for future GFL shows!!
So, who is “The bearded kid”, aka, “lil Papi”, aka Cristian Rivera fighting on that next show??
John Fain
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 12:07 AM:
After reading these posts I feel aligned with others in the realization that Bonnell undeniably sucks!
jasonaaron
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 3:47 AM:
Everybody in the MMA community knows that the GFL puts on some of the best shows in New England next to the WCF.. Anybody who knows Scott Millette or any of the other GFL crew for that matter knows they are anything but scumbags and just trying to further the sport as a whole THE RIGHT WAY. They have a bigger vision than just making a quick dollar and a true love for the sport and lifestyle. I’m sorry Dolphin is it? Look into your facts before making outrageous false claims.. you sound like an idiot
Dlauphlin
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 12:36 PM:
“I like how the GFL are scumbags because fighters dropped out of their show.”
They are scumbags because they did not pay the fighters- yes- they did not pay the fighters
That’s it end of story – pay the fighters
don’t cancel three days out and screw the fighters
pay the fighters
all of them
the NH commission should step up and do the right thing
pay the fighters
Tim B
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 1:47 PM:
Dlauphlin did you have a fight set up and it was cancelled. If that is the case I can understand all the hostility. We had a couple of fighters scheduled for the show that was cancelled. They were disappointed however they are fighting on the 5th, they are still fighting just delayed a couple of weeks. So in my eyes however unfortunate they are still fighting. I am glad that GFL didnt try to put on a subpar show.
I think though we should start a whole Bonnell sucks thread lol
)
Dalton
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 3:14 PM:
“Hey Everyone, I recently came into some money and I have decided to get back into MMA. It has been painful reading about all of the mishaps and screwjobs which have taken place in the last few years. Trust me, I know how hard the fight promotion business can be. Now, I do not currently have the proper funding for the cage , officials, or fighters, but I have convinced a local venue to give me the evening rental on credit. I am not worried though because this fight card is going to be so awesome that everyone will come, and in turn everyone will get paid!!:) This is truly a “can’t lose” business model (unless, of course the box office get’s “robbed” somehow without the 6 police details standing next to it ever seeing anything). Anyways, I’m gonna have the most awesomest posters made because that’s true value for the advertising dollar, and everyone wants to be on a poster (i.e. xeroxed word document). I’m super excitied to be back and shady promoters step aside!!!!!! I’m BACK!!!!”
B. Marshall
p.s. please don’t get hurt, odds are that I’ll “forget” the insurance binder at home again, along with the scale, and the non-rubber checks.
MORAL OF THE STORY : most of you noobs have NO IDEA what getting screwed over by a promoter was like back in the day!!!!
Matt Bessette
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 4:11 PM:
This is a bad position for any promoter and matchmaker, but there’s little they can do if injuries are a result of a few major fights being cancelled (what was it a week before the show?) That sucks….if there are any other promoters on here, I wonder what they would have done OR if there were any similar cases with other shows that we might all know???
Dlauphlin
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 8:34 PM:
“Look into your facts before making outrageous false claims..”
the FACT is they did not pay the fighters
we train for 8 to 10 weeks for a fight
then don’t get paid?
Then Dan and Scott leave the state and book another show and dont pay the fighters ?
“(what was it a week before the show?)”
it was 3 days before the fight
“you sound like an idiot”
how do i sound like an idiot?
take dan and scott’s dicks out of your mouth and tell them to PAY THE FIGHTERS
pay the fighters
don’t go put on another show and screw us
pay the money you owe – stand up to your responsibility
thats it- just pay your bills
pay the fighters
Reep
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 9:15 PM:
Hey Dlauphlin, did you sign a contract?
S.Almeida
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 10:24 PM:
Dlauph: go fight on their postponed show then, its only two weeks away. Things like these happen. You think affliction fighters got paid when they got cancelled, nop. And i doubt you trained 8 to 10 weeks. 2 1/2 months ago you probably didnt even know about the fight.
Chocolate
on Jan 22nd, 2010
@ 11:06 PM:
these guys put a lot of money into there fighters, with vids, radio, and sponsers. I never come on hear and talk shit, and anyone that knows me, knows that I don’t talk shit. All I am saying that shit happens and they are taking pride in what they do by not putting on the show, if it can’t be what they have been tryin to advertise for the past few months. If I had a fight and a guy dropped two days before the fight and they couldn’t find a fightfor me, shit, that suck and yeah i’d be pissed, but that’s how shit works. Different if I show up to weigh-ins and the guy is way over and can’t fight, yeah i’d want my money. I have to be honest with ya, you sound like someone that have no clue what’s goin on. As someone posted there has been many show that handed out rubber checks after the fight. Also GFL helped to get unified rules in NH, that’s a big fucking deal. So stop it bro. Crazy thing that it’s alot of fighters sticking up for them? sorry if this post is everywhere, tryin to type from my cell. and i heard what really happened is that bonnell took off with the cash and spent it all on latex body paint, dunno why, but thats what i heard.
Bonnell
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 12:16 AM:
Guys,
This Dlauphlin guy is just trying to get a rise out of me. This is not one of the fighters from our show. I spoke to each one of them on the phone or in person, there were 12 of them which makes 6 fights. ALL of them had no issues with the postponement, rather they likened the extra time to train. Can we make everyone happy? no of course not…. its not a perfect world and there will always be douche bags like this. Dalton touched on Bruce….I was one of those fighters Bruce had burned, i know what its like. He put those shows on…promised a ton of shit and never delivered. GFL doesn’t do that, we don’t model our production that way. we put countless hours into promoting the fighters and i think we do a decent job. We aren’t the biggest promotion in town, and we don’t claim to be. All of the fighters from January have been put on either the Feb or March GFL card. The fans will still see their show and albeit for half the price as we reduced our tickets for them to $25.
There is a big elephant in the room here and most of the posters on here can read the jacket he’s wearing He’s not a fighter yet a hungry promoter looking to stake his claim in this business by squashing others. No one is following my man. Good luck with your show.
jasonaaron
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 3:34 AM:
They are rescheduled fights dumb ass! You cannot control who gets hurt or when. Take your own dick out of your mouth you are clearly alone in this argument and clearly not a fighter for GFL.. if you were you would have no problem going to Scott or Dan with your issues. They are not a league that is out of touch with their fighters. Why so angry dolphin?
mmafanatic
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 12:11 PM:
fight card ? is it me or did bonnell just say another guy was trying to get a rise out of him lol
Rick
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 1:21 PM:
I’m going to take a minute to point out the obvious here…there are guys on both sides of this posting from “fake” names. I hate to pick on Bonnell, but I don’t think it’s cool when he points to a poster on the site and saying it’s clearly a rival promoter bashing him anonymously when many of us can say with 100% certainty that there are “fake” names on this very thread ballsucking the GFL. I’m not saying Bonnell or the GFL are the ones making the fake posts, just that we all know that some of the posts saying how great they are are just as “fake” as the ones shitting on them.
There are certainly “real” posters saying good things about the GFL as well, and I do realize many real people do love the GFL. I’m not taking sides, I’m simply pointing out how unfair it is that people on the side of the GFL are shitting on “fake” posters that speak poorly about them when they know there are “fake” posts praising as well.
I’m once again running into an interesting issue. I can count 6-7 posters on this thread that I think are “fake” and when I say fake, I mean guys we all would know if they posted from their real name. Can I prove this? In about half of the cases, yes. However, how do I delete, or not allow them to post when I’m 90-95% sure the others are “fake” accounts?
I’m really not sure how to handle this one. I guess for now I simply have to point out the obvious…fake posts are coming from both sides so take every opinion with a grain of salt.
Dysqo Dave
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 2:58 PM:
Bonnell… Thank you for clearing up the issue that you didnt think this guy was one of your fighters, i was just about to pay him his $100 show money in order to shut up.
But with all of the promotions out there you have to look who is in it just to make a buck.
Bruce Marshall
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 4:39 PM:
If you still have that $100, we should put on a show. Call me.
greg
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 6:04 PM:
first of all be careful… this might be a fake post. in fact it definitely is fake.
but that won’t stop me. i will say that the more local MMA i watch, the more i see how difficult it is for everyone involved. promoters, fighters, you name it. nobody wants a good card to fall apart and get canceled, but shit happens. it’s a tough business.
when fighters drop out at the last minute they aren’t TRYING to screw the promotion. and when a promoter cancels an event they aren’t TRYING to screw the fighters. they’re just trying to look out for themselves, and if you don’t look out for yourself you’ll mess up your career as a fighter or go out of business as a promoter.
unless someone did something truly evil and f*cked up (and that doesn’t seem to be the case here), it’s probably best to just accept that sometimes things don’t go right. make the best of it and get ready to promote your next event and fight your next fight.
Reep
on Jan 24th, 2010
@ 11:02 AM:
Good post Greg!!!! Hey Rick, if people are still “fake posting”, just make registration need to use your real name. I’ve just always posted under my nickname, for the last what…4-5 years I’ve been posting here. But I’d be happy to use my real name….
jerry spiegel
on Jan 25th, 2010
@ 7:02 PM:
what kind of people sit on the computer to make other people look bad. Ive passed on getting paid for shows because the attendance was terrible. I honestly know nothing about the GFL’s past but if i found out 3 days prior that i wasent fighting then i wouldent expect to get paid. That kind of a hit would bankrupt a show. I want there to be more fights not try to wipe out promotions.but i agree dans a dick
jerry spiegel
on Jan 25th, 2010
@ 7:03 PM:
oh im only kidding about you being a dick if i can fight on the 13th
The Pitbull
on Jan 26th, 2010
@ 9:52 AM:
I agree with Greg. Promoters are not trying to screw fighters or fans. If that was the case, fighters would not fight for them for long (word gets around). I also agree that fighters don’t try to screw promoters (they put food on your table) especially the pros.
HOWEVER, two combat zones ago I was injured two weeks before my fight. I had hoped it would heal in time and unfortunately it did not. I did not tell my coaches or my teammates because I felt an immense pressure to fight for my promoter, my fans that paid to see me, and my sponsors. The result? A lackluster, boring, 3 round decision loss, that only made my injury WORSE once the painkillers wore off.
Injuries suck, they are part of the game. I will NEVER fight injured again, especially as an amateur who wasn’t gonna get paid anyway. I don’t blame fighters OR promoters for canceling in the best interest of the show or their health.
mmafanatic
on Feb 2nd, 2010
@ 10:16 AM:
IS THERE A CARD LISTED SOMEWHERE FOR THE SHOW AT LIDO THIS FRIDAY