Jai Opetaia once again underlined his class in the cruiserweight division. The Australian dominated Brandon Glanton over twelve rounds – and secured his first belt of the new Zuffa Boxing era.
Jai Opetaia has impressively confirmed his position at the top of the cruiserweight division. The unbeaten Australian dominated Brandon Glanton over the full distance in the main fight of the Zuffa Boxing Gala at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and won a clear points decision. All three judges saw Opetaia clearly ahead and scored the fight 119:106 in favor of the defending champion. The 30-year-old thus defended his ring title and also secured the first belt to be awarded under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Although Glanton showed great fighting spirit, he was barely able to make a mark against his opponent’s technical superiority. Opetaia set the pace of the fight right from the start, controlling the distance and scoring repeatedly with precise combinations to the head and body. Glanton had to take several hard hits in the course of the fight, but remained on his feet until the final bell. Opetaia increased the pressure once again, especially in the later rounds, and repeatedly scored with his dangerous left punching hand.
Despite a few points deductions by the referee – including for holding and low blows – the fight remained clear. At no point did Opetaia leave any doubt as to who was the dominant man in the ring. With this victory, the Australian improves his record (30-0) and underpins his status as probably the strongest cruiserweight in the world at the moment.
Text by Robin Josten