The 2021 WePlay Ultimate Fighting League (WUFL) will air live on DAZN as part of a partnership between WePlay Esports and the global streaming service.
Season 1 of the event runs from March 25 to April 11, 2021. The league is organized by WePlay Esports as well as former undisputed world cruiserweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who bids to become a heavyweight titleholder later this year.
The tournament will be held and broadcast from the WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv, a venue already known to the WePlay Dragon Temple audience. The league’s first season will feature competitions in Mortal Kombat 11, SOULCALIBUR VI, and Tekken 7.
The deal with DAZN will run through three Esports seasons, all set to take place in 2021.
“DAZN is a major player in the sports broadcasting market and a partner ready to support esports and to remove the boundaries between traditional and virtual sports," Maksym Bilonogov, general producer and chief visionary officer at WePlay Esports.
"WePlay Esports’ goal is to shape a new reality where watching esports competitions will become as routine as watching a Netflix series or an important Champions League match in the evening. The partnership with DAZN will boost the popularity of fighting games across the world. It’s fantastic that during the first season of WUFL already we will be able to showcase both the creative potential of the studio (I can’t rule out a lot of hype broadcast live) and the advanced technological capabilities of the Kyiv arena to the max."
“We’re excited about our partnership with WePlay, bringing a top tier gaming tournament to DAZN subscribers around the world. As Esports continues to see exponential growth globally, DAZN is well-placed to host this exciting form of entertainment with a footprint in 200+ countries and territories around the world,” said Joe Markowski, EVP at DAZN.
“Most viewers of traditional combat sports grew up watching movies and playing games in the Mortal Kombat or Tekken series. And if they can watch UFC fights and boxing matches, why won’t they watch esports fighting games as well? We’ll give them such an opportunity, and we expect a surge in the popularity of fighting games among the new audience,” noted Valentyn Shevchenko, business development lead at WePlay Esports.
Note: The Apr. 10 event has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and will be replaced by a boxing card co-hosted by Usyk himself. The event will air live on DAZN in all countries where WePlay events are available.
Card as of Tuesday, Apr. 6:
- Ramil Gadzhyiev vs. Ivan Murashkin
- Tsotne Rogava vs. Petar Mrvalj
- Daniel Lapin vs. Attila Koros
- Sean Fennell vs. Nadzir Bakhshyiev
- Zak Chelli vs. Bohdan Harkavyi
- Robert Marton vs. Paata Aduashvili
- Miroslav Ishchenko vs. Alexander Benidze
- Serhii Huk vs. Andrii Rudenko