Unbeaten Simeon Powell Offered To Join PFL Global Season After LHW Doping Controversy: 'I Would've Beat Them Anyways' (Exclusive)
Undefeated PFL fighter Simeon Powell was close to joining the $1 million league season after a slew of USADA drug suspensions rattled the light heavyweight division.
Powell will face Abdellah Er-Ramy in the PFL Europe 3 main event on September 30th in Paris. The unbeaten light heavyweight is considered one of the top young 205lbers in the world.
Powell, a PFL Challenger Series alumni, opted to get more experience in Europe before making the move to the global $1 million tournament. He could make the move stateside as soon as next year.
The PFL light heavyweight division was rocked by a scandal earlier this year when a slew of top fighters, including Thiago Santos and Rob Wilkinson, were suspended by USADA. All of the light heavyweights who were suspended haven’t fought in 2023 and their long-term future with the league is unknown.
Powell is willing to be a part of revamping the PFL light heavyweight division amidst the controversies surrounding it.
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Simeon Powell Fights In The PFL Europe Semis On Sept. 30
During an exclusive interview with MMANews, Powell reacted to the PFL’s USADA suspensions.
“There’s a lot of juiceheads in the division, that’s what I learned,” Powell exclaimed. “A lot of guys got popped for steroids. It’s a weird one, man…there’s some good fighters, they have good fighters, but I just think I’m better. The guys that got banned for steroids, I don’t know, I don’t know if they’ll be back. They’re going to need some light heavyweights to fix that division now, so I’ll be waiting for that call after I beat everyone in Europe…
Despite the controversy surrounding the 2022 PFL light heavyweight season, Powell was willing to step up and fight the suspended athletes head-on.
“I still feel I’d beat them anyways, so I still thought I’d beat all those guys,” Powell said. “It did excite me also when I found out the news because I told my manager ‘Should we get you in?’ and I was like ‘Get me in, now!’…but I had to finish PFL Europe…I was wanting to fight on two weeks’ notice. But also, a little bit disappointed at the same time.”
Powell has won three straight fights in the PFL since signing with the league last season. He won his PFL debut in April 2022 before getting a second-round submission in his last fight at PFL Europe 1.
Powell is a potential future face of the PFL moving forward, and he could be part of the solution to rebuilding one of the league’s most scrutinized divisions.
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