Jai Opetaia strikes when hot, David Benavidez coming next
Sep 12, 2026 • 11:52 PM ET
UFC EnterpriseLAS VEGAS – Jai Opetaia didn’t mind hearing the whistles and jeers as he patiently waited for his opening.
Seconds after it finally revealed itself, Opetaia unleashed the entirety of his fury on the likely outgoing WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
A left to the eye, a right on the chin and a vicious left to the jaw caused Mikaelian to back to the nearest ropes behind him, leaving referee Harvey Dock to rule it a TKO victory 1:30 into the ninth round as Mikaelian couldn’t stand on his own.
Topping that off, Opetaia, 31-0, gained a greater benefit when unbeaten unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez entered the ring and summoned Opetaia for a 2027 showdown.
“That’s why I respect this man so much,” Opetaia said.
Answered Benavidez: “I’m the exact same way. We’re going to give the fans one hell of a fight.”
Opetaia was asked who’ll win. “We’ll find out at the time,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Saturday’s victory showed why there’ll be great anticipation for the bout.
Southpaw Opetaia landed softly on Mikaelian’s head to start, but then showed some swelling at the left eye from Mikaelian’s return salvos.
“I knew he was going to be experienced,” Opetaia said.
The intensity of Opetaia’s punches increased into the fourth round, including some effective uppercuts.
Mikaelian sought to deliver hard counterpunches as the action slowed in the sixth.
Opetaia worked his jab to start the seventh but then Armenia’s Mikaelian, 28-4, hurt Opetaia with a right hand, encouraging others that took Opetaia to the ropes and left him to hold on tightly, as Mikaelian dipped to the canvas and Opetaia enjoyed the respite.
“He clipped me,” Opetaia said. “But I’m still undefeated.”
A refreshed Opetaia found Mikaelian with lefts in the eighth and Mikaelian’s left eye began swelling.
It was the opening right by Opetaia toward Mikaelian’s purple left eye that set up the finish and overcame a turbulent outside-the-ring turn of events.
Six months ago, both Opetaia and Mikaelian reigned as world champions.
Opetaia’s move to Zuffa Boxing ruffled feathers at the IBF, leaving him stripped of that belt when he opted to fight Brandon Glanton for the newly created Zuffa belt.
Mikaelian was still the WBC champion when he walked to the ring Saturday, but the WBC did not sanction the fight and it’s expected to announce it stripped him on Monday for not fighting unified champion Benavidez.
As WBC light-heavyweight champion, Benavidez, who watched the fight from ringside, previously successfully petitioned the WBC to fight Mikaelian.
Benavidez is expected to fight WBC interim cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak of Poland in December in Arizona, and he’ll be a promotional free agent afterward with his mind clearly intent on fighting Opetaia after that.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
