In partnership with WePlay Esports, Oleksandr Usyk presents a company focused on organizing and operating top-tier fighting game tournaments under the new WePlay Ultimate Fighting League (WUFL). Oleksandr will work alongside the Managing Partners of WePlay Esports Oleg Krot and Yura Lazebnikov, who have organized numerous top-tier tournaments to date.

Oleksandr Usyk made an appearance during the final day of WePlay Dragon Temple — a $60,000 Mortal Kombat 11 tournament that took place in WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv. 

Fourteen players from Canada, the U.S., Great Britain, and other countries were competing for the victory. The event champion from Bahrain who goes by the nickname of Tekken Master earned a trophy and $24,000 prize.

WePlay Dragon Temple is one of the few LAN esports events with player attendance held this year. In combination with various show elements, such as augmented reality, Dj performances, staged fights with stuntmen, the tournament was a breath of fresh air for the fans.

One Tournament Ends as a Company is Born

The announcement took place on December 13, 2020, the final day of the WePlay Dragon Temple tournament for Mortal Kombat 11.

“Competitive gaming is both a popular hobby for many young people and a promising direction for investors. I chatted with Yura Lazebnikov and Oleg Krot, they told me the specifics of the industry, and I decided to try my hand in this business. Besides, I played games before, and now I'm back to this hobby,” says Oleksandr Usyk.

Creating the new company is just one of the steps in WePlay Esports’ bid to win the fighting game community over and help the scene continue to grow.

“We decided to create a company that would target the fighting game community while allowing a wider audience to appreciate our creative approach to events. Fighting game fans are often passionate about esports, and we offer spectacular and high-quality content and production that are traditional for WePlay Esports. We are ready to surprise and revolutionize the esports industry once again,” notes Yura Lazebnikov.

“The new company team will develop the WePlay Ultimate Fighting League and diversify the pool of supported esports disciplines. These activities are in line with the media holding company’s global goal to expand presence in North America with its vibrant fighting game community,” adds Oleg Krot.

An Exclusive Photo Reportage with the Legendary Boxer

Photo credits: WePlay Esports. More photos can be found here.

About WePlay Esports

• WePlay Esport hosted six events since the lockdown began. One of the events, the $650,000 OMEGA League, was a success with the fans, who missed The International this year.
• At the end of March, 2020, the team carried out WeSave! Charity Play, the Dota 2 charitable marathon to collect funds for two organizations fighting against the pandemic.
• In July, WePlay Esports hosted the first in a new discipline, VALORANT, just a month after the game's public release by Riot Games.
• At the beginning of December 2020, WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv, the first venue in the company’s global arena network, was opened.
• On December 10–13, 2020, WePlay Esports stepped into the fighting game scene with WePlay Dragon Temple, the Mortal Kombat 11 tournament. 
• The media holding company expands its ecosystem of products for the industry users, with Esports Transfers being among the newly developed solutions.

About Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk is a Ukrainian Olympic champion, an undisputed world heavyweight champion among professionals, and a Muhammad Ali Trophy holder. As of today, Oleksandr is a mandatory contender for the WBO heavyweight title (Anthony Joshua holds the title). He was born on January 17, 1987, in Simferopol, Ukraine. Oleksandr has been boxing since the age of 15. Since the beginning of his professional career in 2013, he has fought 18 fights without a single defeat, with 13 endings in knockout victories. 

In addition to his sports career, Oleksandr Usyk is also active in business: he manages the Usyk-17 Promotions promotion company, develops his sportswear and accessories label Usyk-17, and, together with boxer Vasily Lomachenko, manages the LOMUS brand.

Contact information for media outlets: press@weplayholding.com