Zuffa Boxing
Jai Opetaia | Belt Hunter
New Zealand’s Cruiserweight World Champion Is On A Mission To Collect Every 200-Pound World Title Belt On The Planet.
Jai Opetaia has already captured Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight gold, but his quest to capture all of the 200-pound world championship belts is well underway, and he faces arguably his toughest test yet when he looks to add another belt to his collection this weekend. On Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Opetaia will put his Ring and Zuffa Boxing titles on the line as he bids to add another sanctioning body’s cruiserweight world championship to his resumé.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Opetaia told UFC.com during a fight-week conversation ahead of his eagerly-anticipated title unification bout. “This fight's going to change the direction of my career again, so this is a very, very important win. This is huge, bro. It's all on the line here, for both of us.”
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Opetaia’s opponent, fellow world champion Noel Mikaelian, is expected to provide stiff opposition, but it’s exactly the challenge Opetaia has been chasing. He wants to face the best to prove that he’s better than them all, and Mikaelian is the next fighter in his sights.
“It's obviously been my goal for a long time to become undisputed,” Opetaia said. “I can't do that unless I get all the belts. But this guy – he's a world champion, you know what I mean? And so am I. He's had a great career. I don't pick these guys because they're easy fights. I pick these guys because they're the best, and I want to be the best. So, man, I'm just ready to fight, but I just want to get in the ring and prove to everyone that I am who I say I am.”
Saturday night’s fight will be Opetaia’s 10th straight world championship bout. Of his past nine, only two opponents – former champion Mairis Breidis (twice) and Brandon Glanton – have been able to go the distance with the New Zealander, whose career record stands at a perfect 30-0, with 23 knockouts. His last outing saw him defeat the durable Glanton to add the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title to his trophy cabinet. Now he wants to add to that belt tally by relieving Mikaelian of his title in Las Vegas.
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“I'm not looking backwards. I'm looking forwards,” he said. “I’ve got someone in front of me who's trying to take what's mine, you know? And I can’t let him do that.”
While he’s competed in big shows in Riyadh and London, this will be Opetaia’s big-arena debut in the “Fight Capital of the World,” and he’s excited for the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of around 20,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena.
“Yeah, it's awesome,” he said. “Even just being here in Las Vegas, fighting in a massive arena, fighting for world titles and defending world titles. This is what our lives have been focused on my whole life, pretty much… [Since] eight years old, first fight, my whole life has just been f****** boxing, boxing, boxing, and these are the moments that we've worked our lives and made sacrifices for, to put on a show and prove we’re the best.”
To do that, he’ll have to outbattle Armenian-born German Mikaelian, who was close to world championship level for several years before finally capturing world cruiserweight gold. Now a two-time 200-pound champion of the world, Mikaelian will provide the latest test for Opetaia, who has looked a class apart on his way to the top of the division.
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“I'm curious to see how he comes out,” he said of Mikaelian. “Does he want to apply too much pressure? Does he want to stay out and box? What does he want to do? Sit in the pocket? And then we adapt to it. We find the holes, the mistakes… How's he gonna cut the distance off? How's he gonna stay out long? What's he doing with his lead hand? What's he doing with his footwork? It’s a science … and you can think of a gameplan, but when you jump in that ring and you get punched in the face… Bro, the whole game plan changes, you know? So, it's about adapting in the ring, and then you obviously have to be fit enough and strong enough to adapt to whatever you need to do to win that fight.”
Opetaia is ready for battle as he prepares to make the walk for the 31st time in his unbeaten career. And for a fighter who is chasing undisputed glory, he’s also excited for the opportunity to showcase his skills to the American fighting fans, who will be treated to a two-sport double-header on Saturday, with Noche UFC in Glendale running into the main card at T-Mobile Arena.
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“That's something that excites me, because I love going to new places and fighting on new cards, and going to people's home backyards or something and leaving with the respect,” Opetaia said. “Everywhere I go, I want them to be like, ‘F***! Opetaia is a good boxer,’ you know? I want to give my last name a good name, and I want to show people that kids from our neck of the woods can make it and chase their dreams.”
