WePlay Esports and Alexander Usik invest $ 25 million

Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Alexander Usik and Ukrainian esports tournament operator WePlay Esports are jointly investing $ 25 million in the Ultimate Fighting League, which was launched last December.

At the end of last year, WePlay announced that it is now collaborating with Oleksandr Usik to create a fighting League called WePlay Ultimate Fighting League (WUFL). The official announcement took place on December 13, the final day of the Mortal Kombat 11 WePlay Dragon Temple tournament.

Speaking to TEO, WePlay Esports Managing Partners Oleg Krot and Yura Lazebnikov and Usyk revealed new details about the partnership and the company's plans to expand into new regions in the coming year, while maintaining its efforts in the most popular esports disciplines in the region.

The total investment in WePlay Ultimate Fighting League is $ 25 million. WePlay did not disclose specific details on how much money both the organization and the former boxer have invested. The tournament operator also did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

Usyk said that the idea of partnering with WePlay as part of some kind of collaboration emerged at the end of 2020, when he, Krot and Lazebnikov started talking about esports during a chance meeting.

While WePlay plans to invest some of its energy and resources into the new league, it will continue to focus on popular disciplines such as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. At the same time, WePlay has not yet decided whether it will support new and emerging disciplines such as VALORANT or Wild Rift.

Lazebnikov also said that WePlay plans to expand its presence in key markets with a focus on attracting an American audience. The company already has offices in Los Angeles and was in the process of opening an arena in the city before COVID-19 disrupted the organization's plans.