Dana White confirms the first title fight of the new division: Jai Opetaia will fight Brandon Glanton for the Ring and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title on March 8 in Las Vegas.
Zuffa Boxing takes the next step: Jai Opetaia will face Brandon Glanton on March 8 in Las Vegas. According to the announcement, The Ring and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight titles are at stake. This was confirmed by UFC boss Dana White via his social channels. The fight is planned as a 12-round main event at the UFC Meta APEX Performance Center. Paramount+ will stream in the USA.
Opetaia (29-0, 23 knockouts) is the most prominent name Zuffa Boxing has brought on board since the start. The Australian is considered the benchmark of the weight class and goes into his first Zuffa title fight as the favorite. Glanton (21-3, 18 knockouts) brings power and experience – and the chance to catapult himself to the top of the world in one fell swoop.
The question of the IBF belt remains exciting: an IBF spokesman tells The Ring that Opetaia still holds the title and that his team has not signaled a relinquishment. Glanton is ranked 15th in the IBF and is therefore eligible for the title. However, the Zuffa announcement leaves open whether the IBF title is actually at stake on March 8.
Behind the scenes, this is also a change of course with an announcement. Zuffa Boxing had initially emphasized that it would not focus on the classic world championship belts (IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO). However, White recently conceded that fighters would not be forced to relinquish their federation titles for Zuffa fights.
Text by Robin Josten