Opetaia, Mikaelian Meet for Cruiserweight Titles on Garcia-Benn Undercard

Jai Opetaia will defend his Ring and Zuffa cruiserweight championships against Noel Mikaelian on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas. Opetaia's titles are on the line; whether Mikaelian's WBC belt will also be at stake remains unclear. The fight serves as the co-main event to Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena.

Opetaia enters undefeated at 30-0 with 23 knockouts and is widely regarded as the top fighter in the division. Mikaelian holds a 28-3 record with 12 knockouts and is the current WBC champion.

This card carries weight for Zuffa Boxing, which signed Opetaia as an early flagship fighter. Opetaia won the Zuffa cruiserweight belt in March with a clear victory over Brandon Glanton.

His road to this point runs through a complicated history with the IBF. He first captured the IBF title in 2022 by defeating Mairis Briedis, then defended it twice before the organization stripped him after he took another fight while Briedis recovered from an injury. Opetaia later reclaimed the IBF title in a rematch with Briedis and defended it four more times before signing with Zuffa Boxing. The IBF stripped him again following his bout for the Zuffa belt.

Opetaia has said his goal is to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, a pursuit complicated by the IBF's repeated decisions tied to his fight schedule and promotional affiliations.

Mikaelian carries his own title history into the fight. He is in his second reign as WBC champion, having first won the belt in 2023 with a third-round technical knockout of Ilunga Makabu. He lost the WBC title to Badou Jack in 2025 via majority decision, then recaptured it with a unanimous decision win over Jack in a rematch.

The event streams live on Paramount+, with DAZN Boxing also carrying the card. Garcia's main event against Benn marks his first defense of the WBC welterweight title.

Negotiations between the two camps stretched over months before the fight was finalized. Opetaia now gets a high-profile platform to defend his standing in the division while Zuffa Boxing puts its top cruiserweight against another recognized champion.

Opetaia enters undefeated at 30-0 with 23 knockouts and is widely regarded as the top fighter in the division. Mikaelian holds a 28-3 record with 12 knockouts and is the current WBC champion.

This card carries weight for Zuffa Boxing, which signed Opetaia as an early flagship fighter. Opetaia won the Zuffa cruiserweight belt in March with a clear victory over Brandon Glanton.

Opetaia has said his goal is to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, a pursuit complicated by the IBF's repeated decisions tied to his fight schedule and promotional affiliations.

The event streams live on Paramount+, with DAZN Boxing also carrying the card. Garcia's main event against Benn marks his first defense of the WBC welterweight title.