Zuffa Boxing Signs Jai Opetaia as Cruiserweight Champion Joins Roster

Zuffa Boxing has added its most accomplished fighter to date, announcing the signing of lineal, Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.

The deal was confirmed Friday by both sides. No timetable has been released for Opetaia’s debut under the Zuffa banner, and no opponent has been named. The signing represents the first time Zuffa has brought in an active world champion who currently holds recognized leverage inside a division.

Opetaia enters the move following an active 2025. The 30 year old southpaw recorded three victories during the year, all by stoppage and all against unbeaten opponents. His most recent outing came December 6 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, where he knocked out IBF mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara.

That bout had been postponed from earlier in the year after Cinkara withdrew with an ankle injury. In his place, Opetaia faced David Nyika last January and stopped him in four rounds. Between those fights, Opetaia defeated Italian contender Claudio Squeo by fifth round stoppage, though the matchup drew little interest and reflected the difficulty he has had securing fights with the other belt holders at cruiserweight.

Opetaia has held the division’s lineal and Ring titles since defeating Mairis Briedis by unanimous decision in July 2022. His first reign as IBF champion ended outside the ring when he was stripped in late 2023 for taking a non mandatory defense. He regained the belt in May 2024 with another decision win over Briedis and has since recorded four consecutive title defenses, all ending by knockout. That run includes a sixth round stoppage of Jack Massey in October 2024 in Riyadh.

Zuffa Boxing’s business model presents an open question. The promotion has stated it does not intend to work with sanctioning bodies. Its first three events will stream on Paramount Plus from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, beginning January 23 with Callum Walsh against Carlos Ocampo. A February 1 card remains without a main event, followed by a February 14 show headlined by heavyweights Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin.

None of Zuffa’s announced fighters are currently operating within sanctioning body structures. That stance sits uneasily alongside Opetaia’s long stated goal of fully unifying the cruiserweight division, where unified WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez and WBC titleholder Noel Mikaeljan remain active elsewhere.

The signing gives Zuffa credibility. Whether it gives Opetaia a clear path forward is still unanswered.