Since 2009, Simon has covered MMA for a host of major outlets across the world, including BBC Sport, BBC Three, MMA Junkie/USA Today, BT Sport, Daily Mirror, The Sun, and The National UAE, as well as providing official content to several of the world's top MMA organizations, including UFC, ONE Championship, Cage Warriors and the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF). Simon has also run the digital sports desks of two UK national newspapers, helped launch a major UK sports broadcaster, and coordinated coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championships, FA Cup Finals, Formula 1, and MotoGP. The big news this week of the UFC's parent company TKO joining forces with Saudi Arabian sports promoter Turki Alalshikh to create a new boxing league was music to the ears of Alex Pereira. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion is set to put his 205-pound title on the line on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he takes on Russian challenger Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. And while his immediate focus is on that matchup, "Poatan" revealed that he couldn't help but get excited at the news that Dana White will soon be at the helm of a new boxing promotion. Pereira has made no secret of his desire to test himself against the very best inside the squared circle, and has spoken openly about his wish to one day take on unified heavyweight champion of the world Oleksandr Usyk. For his part, Usyk revealed that he's also interested in the fight, telling TNT Sports that he could potentially face Pereira as one of the two fights he wants to have before he hangs up his gloves. But for Pereira, the big barrier was always likely to be his contractual status with the UFC. Typically they haven't been keen to allow their fighters to cross over and compete in boxing while they're still active in the Octagon. But the news of the new TKO-led boxing promotion may change all that, with the potential for fighters to compete across different sports while remaining under the TKO banner something that might become a reality once things get underway. That certainly seems to be Pereira's thought, as he shared his enthusiasm for the announcement with journalists on media day ahead of UFC 313. "I jumped for joy when I saw the announcement," he said in Portuguese (translated via MMA Fighting ). "Maybe September. Saudi Arabia. "I was the first to show interest, and then Usyk showed interest. And now we have to see the interest of the organizations. I'll be ready." However, that possibility may still be a distant one, with UFC president and CEO Dana White, who is also set to head up TKO's boxing league, telling Pat McAfee that he is less than keen on seeing UFC stars crossing over to box, even in his new league. "There are guys that want to box, but I literally don't want to see any of that," he told Pat McAfee. "We'll keep the boxers in the boxing and the MMA guys in the MMA. No. It will never have that." For more on the UFC, head to Newsweek Sports.
CONTINUE READING
