Zuffa Boxing
Title Fight Preview | Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelian
Cruiserweight Bragging Rights Are Up For Grabs As Rival World Champions Jai Opetaia And Noel Mikaelian Go Head-To-Head In Las Vegas.
The title of the best cruiserweight on the planet is the prize as world champions Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian face off in the co-main event of the Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn card at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, September 12.
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The two champions have taken very different paths to their respective titles, and now they’ll go head-to-head in Las Vegas in a bid to end the night as the unified cruiserweight champion of the world and move one big step closer to undisputed status.
Jai Opetaia: Undefeated phenom
Name: Jai Opetaia
Record: 30-0-0 (23 KOs)
Age: 31
Professional debut: August 2015
World title experience: Reigning cruiserweight world champion. Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world champion.
Last time out: March 8, 2026 - Defeated Brandon Glanton via unanimous decision (119-106, 119-106, 119-106) to retain the cruiserweight world title and win the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title
Jai Opetaia: "These Are The Moments We've Worked Our Life For" | Garcia vs Benn
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Jai Opetaia: "These Are The Moments We've Worked Our Life For" | Garcia vs Benn
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After seven years spent sharpening his skills, climbing the cruiserweight ladder, and collecting a host of regional titles, Jai Opetaia captured world championship gold back in 2022 with a unanimous decision victory over Mairis Breidis to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion. But that win was only the start for the New Zealander, who has since scaled the mountain to become one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
Opetaia stopped Jordan Thompson in London in September 2023 as he registered his first world championship defense, then added another with a first-round knockout of Ellis Zorro in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he took his skills global.
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A rematch with Breidis followed in Riyadh, and Opetaia repeated the feat as he claimed a second unanimous decision win over the Latvian former champion. Then a TKO finish of Jack Massey in October 2024 completed three straight title defenses in Saudi Arabia.
Opetaia’s star was growing, and a hat-trick of knockout victories followed, with the Kiwi finishing David Nyika, Claudio Squeo and Huseyin Cinkara, all on Australia’s Gold Coast. He was, by many judges’ assessments, the best cruiserweight on the planet, but he needed a bigger platform from which to prove it.
That prompted Opetaia to make the biggest move of his career as he signed with Zuffa Boxing, and his promotional debut saw him outpoint Brandon Glanton over 12 rounds to add the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world title to his growing collection of belts. But with more belts in his sights, and undisputed status his ultimate goal, Opetaia set his sights on the other sanctioning body champions.
WATCH: Road To Garcia vs Benn
And on September 12, he’ll face off against one of them, as he looks to add another belt to his resumé by defeating Noel Mikaelian at T-Mobile Arena.
Noel Mikaelian: Persistence pays off
Name: Noel Mikaelian
Nickname: “Dark Horse”
Record: 28-3-0 (12 KOs)
Age: 35
Professional debut: May 2011
World title experience: Two-time cruiserweight world champion
Last time out: December 13, 2025 - Defeated Badou Jack via unanimous decision (116-110, 115-111, 116-110) to win the cruiserweight world title
Noel Mikaelian: "Nobody's Invincible" | Garcia vs Benn
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Noel Mikaelian: "Nobody's Invincible" | Garcia vs Benn
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Born in Armenia and raised as a German national, Noel Mikaelian has spent a decade and a half building his record and developing his skills to become a world champion. That dream didn’t come to fruition until as recently as November 2023, when he stopped Ilunga Makabu in the third round to capture a sanctioning body’s vacant cruiserweight world title.
Mikaelian eventually lost the belt after being unable to compete due to a legal dispute, but eventually returned to the ring to replace an injured Ryan Rozicki as he faced the man who took up the mantle during his absence – Badou Jack – in Riyadh.
Their first matchup ended with Jack edging a majority decision, but in their rematch, in Los Angeles one year later, Mikaelian got his revenge as he claimed the unanimous decision victory and reclaimed the title he never lost in the ring.
Now Mikaelian, 35, is ready to put his version of the world title on the line against Jai Opetaia’s titles as the pair get set for a championship unification battle at T-Mobile Arena on September 12.
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