The cruiserweight bout between Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton on Sunday, March 8, was supposed to mark the first world championship fight for Zuffa Boxing, led by UFC CEO Dana White and Saudi dealmaker Turki Alalshikh.
But as Mike Tyson once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
Zuffa Boxing got popped in the kisser Saturday when the IBF backtracked on its plan to sanction the fight. Jai Opetaia holds the IBF cruiserweight title. Well, at least temporarily.
The IBF has said it will strip Opetaia of the IBF cruiserweight title if he goes through with the now-unsanctioned bout against Glanton and fights for Zuffa Boxing’s new title belt.
The IBF clearly rejected that idea — and the idea of Zuffa’s belt being in the spotlight — while abandoning the fight. At a minimum, that now means Opetaia and Glanton will face off in an unsanctioned bout.
Oh, Opetaia also holds The Ring magazine’s cruiserweight title belt. Head spinning yet?
This soap opera, er, story also will involve a boxing match between Opetaia and Glanton.
Opetaia, a 30-year-old Australian, is 29-0 with 23 KOs. Glanton, 34, is 21-3 with 18 KOs and no title fights.
How to watch Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton
Time: 9 p.m. ET (main card), 6 p.m. ET (prelims)
Where: Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
TV: N/A
Stream: Paramount+ in the United States at $8.99 per month.
Jaycob Ramos vs. Ethan Perez
The featherweight fight finished in a majority draw. Perez dropped Ramos with a left hand in the second round before Ramos returned the knockdown with a big hook in the third round.
Brady Ochoa vs. Adrian Serrano results
The lightweight fight between Brady Ochoa and Adrian Serrano finished in a majority draw. Ochoa pushed the pace in the fight, while Serrano had some moments of his own in the fight.
Emiliano Alvarado vs. Erick Rosado result
Alvarado earned a unanoumous decision victory after dropping Rosado with a crisp left hook in Round 4. Alvarado controlled the featherweight fight the rest of the way and dominated the scorecards and earning the decisive win.
Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton Predictions
Brent Brookhouse, CBS Sports: Ultimately, Opetaia is simply the better fighter — the best in the world in the division, no less. And it is likely too tall a task for Glanton to suddenly step up his game to a level he’s never shown before…Prediction: Opetaia by TKO, Round 10.
Anatoly Pimentel, BetMGM: Opetaia is currently at his physical peak, and I don’t see anyone besides Noel Mikaelian and Gilberto Ramirez pushing him to his full limit and actually giving him a competitive fight. Prediction: Opetaia by unanimous decision.
Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton Card
Main Card
Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton, cruiserweight
Ricardo Salas vs. Jesus Saracho, welterweight
Adan Palma vs. Pablo Rubio, featherweight
Prelims
Vlad Panin vs. Shinard Bunch, welterweight
Joshua Juarez vs. Jardae Anderson, heavyweight
Jaycob Ramos vs. Ethan Perez, featherweight
Brady Ochoa vs. Adrian Serrano, lightweight
Emiliano Alvarado vs. Erick Rosado, featherweight