Jai Opetaia faces Noel Mikaelian on Saturday, September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The cruiserweight bout serves as the co-feature to Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.
Previously reported to compete at the event, Australia’s Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) returns to the ring after defeating Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision in March. With the victory, the former two-time IBF champion earned the inaugural Zuffa Boxing belt and retained The Ring strap.
Armenia’s Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) regained the WBC title last December, defeating Badou Jack by unanimous decision in their rematch. In March, it was announced that he was offered a fight against Lyubomyr Pinchuk in June, but the bout did not materialize.
Tickets for the event are on sale via AXS.com.
What they’re saying
“This is a huge card, and I look forward to showing the world once again why I’m the best cruiserweight on the planet,” Opetaia said. “Credit to Noel for stepping up to the plate while others – yes, David Benavidez, I’m talking about you – continue to run and hide.”
Mikaelian said, “When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship. This is the fight I’ve wanted since becoming a two-time world champion, and I’m ready to deliver. I haven’t fought since December 2025 because of circumstances outside of my control. I refused to stay inactive. Champions are meant to defend their titles, and that’s exactly what I’m prepared to do.”
- In the main event, Ryan Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) of Victorville, California, makes the first defense of his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) of the UK.
Other bouts featured on the card are expected to be announced shortly.
How to watch
- Zuffa Boxing announced that the event will stream live on Paramount+ “at no additional cost to subscribers in all markets globally outside of the UK and Ireland.”
- This is understood to include the U.S., Australia, and other countries where Paramount+ is available.
- In the UK and Ireland, the card will stream via DAZN PPV.