Windsor fighter Randi Field signs to newly established MMA league

Randi Field seen with her team. (Provided by Randi Field)

After a fight in March 2023, Windsor MMA fighter Randi Field feared a long list of injuries would derail her career.

On the heels of a win in the Bellator cage, Field faced bilateral hip dysplasia, torn labrums, cysts and necrosis among other injuries.

“I was really sad for a long time,” Field told CTV News.

“To be honest, I really came to terms that my career was over.”

However, in an effort to keep her dream alive, Field travelled to Columbia to receive a stem cell transplant. The “intricate procedure” allowed her to return to fighting, where she secured a decisive knockout victory in October.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old is now ready to write the next chapter in her career, signing with the newly established Global Fight League (GFL).

“I'm super excited about the opportunity,” she said.

“Bellator was huge and now to be able to share this stage with a bunch of other fighters that I've previously looked up to, this is super exciting.”

Field’s partner and coach Manuel Alfaro said they had originally begun talks to move into the UFC. However, Alfaro said a “very new” type of contract for the sport, offered by GFL, turned their focus to the team-based league.

“I’ve never seen a contract like this in MMA where the company offers 50 per cent shares of the entire revenue to the fighters,” Alfaro said.

While the goal is to find further success in the sport, Field’s long-term vision has been to establish a platform that allows her to help others.

“Well, I've asked Randi what are your goals, and every single time, one of the main goals for her is not about MMA, it's to have a platform to help people,” Alfaro said.

“She always says, ‘I want to help women, I want to help young women just to get through the hardships in life and to be able to support in any way possible.’”

In preparation for this next stage of her career, Field (4-1) and her team have found ways to train, while keeping in mind her injury history.

“I'm a little bit of a veteran now, I'm going to be 35 this year,” she said.

“So, they've been able to accommodate me a lot, and now going forward, I know that we have to take extra caution.”

The GFL will feature six teams in major markets and include a draft on Jan. 24. The new league is expected to begin action in April.

For Field and Alfaro, the hope is for a team to be established in Canada, so she can represent her home country.