When Simeon Powell saw Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko go down at Wembley Stadium with 90,000 fans in attendance in April 2017, the then-teenager knew what he wanted in life.
Having just commenced dabbling in muay thai, Powell was on security duty for the heavyweight title clash. However, what he didn’t expect was to be in the front row as Joshua stopped the Ukrainian in the 11th frame.
“It gave me chills; I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Powell recently told The Sun. “It was crazy, the production, the atmosphere, I was like, ‘This is what I want.’”
“Smooth” turned pro in 2021 and has since racked up seven finishes in nine undefeated outings. Powell signed with the Professional Fighters League, competing in the three-stage PFL Europe tournament with $100,000 up for grabs along with a chance to enter the $1 million global season.
After a submission win over Mohamed Amine and a decision win over Daniel Ladero Gartner, Powell is slated to clash against Jakob Nedoh (7-1) in the season finale at the 3Arena in Dublin on Dec. 8.
The 24-year-old believes he will make his mark on the global mixed martial arts scene with his upcoming performance against Nedoh.
“I feel like this is the fight which is going to elevate me. How I’m going to get the job done, I feel like it’s my, ‘I’m him moment.’ This fight will be what gives me that global respect in a sense,” The light-heavyweight fighter said.
Powell’s Slovenian opponent hasn't lost a bout since his pro debut in 2014. Additionally, “The Gorilla” hasn't gone past the first round of a fight in his MMA career.
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Impa Kasanganay won the PFL 2023 global season in the light-heavyweight category last month, grabbing headlines for bagging the $1 million prize. While Powell was impressed by Kasanganay’s performance, the Englishman believes he could have won the global season this year as well.
“It was a great performance, Impa is a nice guy; nice story. But I’m a competitor at the end of the day and I definitely feel like I can compete with them boys. I feel like I definitely could have won it this year as well. It’s always been the dream since day one to be world champion.”
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