Louisville Kings complete remarkable turnaround, advance to United Bowl against DC Defenders

The Louisville Kings and DC Defenders will meet in the United Bowl, but few could have predicted this matchup when Louisville stumbled out of the gate at 0-3 in its inaugural United Football League season.

Three months later, the expansion franchise has become one of the best stories in spring football, winning seven of its last eight games and carrying a five-game winning streak into the league championship game.

Rocky start for expansion franchise

When the UFL announced the Louisville Kings as one of three expansion franchises in October of 2025, expectations were naturally tempered. Building a roster from scratch is never easy, and the early weeks of the season reflected those growing pains.

The Kings opened the year with three straight losses and spent the first month searching for consistency on both sides of the ball. Despite flashes of talent, victories remained elusive.

Still, head coach Chris Redman never allowed the season to unravel.

The former Louisville Cardinals star and NFL veteran was entrusted with leading football’s return to Louisville, and he steadily guided the franchise through a difficult opening stretch.

Finding their identity

Everything began to change once the Kings found their rhythm offensively and started leaning into a physical running game.

Big plays became a weekly feature, while the defense developed into one of the league’s most opportunistic units. The improvement showed up quickly in the standings as Louisville climbed back into playoff contention.

By the end of the regular season, the team that started 0-3 looked nothing like the one taking the field in September.

Instead, the Kings had become one of the hottest teams in the UFL.

Statement win in St. Louis

The defining moment of the season came in the semifinals.

Facing the heavily favored St. Louis Battlehawks on the road in front of a packed Battledome, Louisville delivered one of the biggest wins in franchise history.

Chandler Rogers guided the offense, Ian Wheeler provided a game-changing touchdown run, and Tanner Brown made league history by becoming the first kicker to hit two four-point field goals in the same game.

The defense sealed the victory behind key plays from Cam Gill and Steele Chambers as the Kings earned a 29-20 victory and punched their ticket to the United Bowl.

One win from history

Now only one obstacle remains.

Standing across the field will be the defending champion DC Defenders, led by former Louisville quarterback Jason Bean.

For the Kings, however, the focus is simple. After rising from an 0-3 start to the championship game in their first season, they are just one victory away from completing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in UFL history.

Source: UFL