Jai Opetaia makes his long-awaited Zuffa Boxing debut on Sunday, taking on Brandon Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championship live at the Meta APEX facility that the UFC owns and operates in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Aussie fighter is the consensus No.1 boxer in the 200-pound division, largely thanks to his stunning IBF world title win over Mairis Briedis two years ago at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh — a boxing championship he has defended with Knockout of the Year contending wins over David Nyika and Huseyin Cinkara, among other victories.
As Boxing Social previously reported, though, Opetaia is being forced into a position in which he might lose the IBF title because of the ongoing cold war in boxing, with the IBF unwilling to sanction the bout should Opetaia fight Glanton instead for the Zuffa title.
This impacts Opetaia’s ambitions considerably as he has long wanted to not only unify the major world titles at cruiserweight, but go onto become the undisputed king of the division. And so, if the focus is instead on the lightly-regarded Zuffa belt, he is on the outside looking in, relinquishing the undisputed option to one of Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, David Benavidez, or Noel Mikaelian.
Glanton, meanwhile, will be hoping to take Opetaia the distance as, though he’s lost thrice, he’s never been finished, and since a unanimous decision defeat to Chris Billam-Smith in England, the American — nicknamed BULLETPROOF — rebounded by firing shots at Marcus Browne in Lagos, Nigeria, retiring the fighter in the sixth round late, last year.
Whether he can double up on that win, or suffer the fourth L of his career, remains to be seen.
Keep scrolling for main card fight time, together with live round-by-round updates of the key bouts on the card.
Zuffa Boxing LIVE Updates & Results
Main Card Results From Zuffa Boxing on Paramount+
Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton — Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title
Ricardo Adan Salas Rodriguez vs. Jesus Saracho — Welterweight
Pablo Rubio Jr. comes from behind to beat Adan Palma at teatherweight
A fight in which both fighters put their undefeated records on the line, featherweights Adan Palma and Pablo Rubio exchanged heavy leather in a competive bout set for eight rounds, but Palma had pace, and accuracy, when he leaped in with Rubio with his back on the ropes, flooring him with a right hand, scoring a knockdown in the third. but Palma had pace, and accuracy, when he leaped in with Rubio with his back on the ropes, flooring him with a right hand, as well as a left hook, scoring two knockdowns overall in the third.
Knockdown here…
And here…
Rubio, more boxer than puncher, struggled to land anything that perturbed Palma. In the fifth, despite the gap between them on the cards, Rubio showed enough to perhaps convince the judges a comeback was on, with near-constant flurring either side of his opponent’s head, forcing Palma to have to work to retain a lead, let alone maintain it by the margin he had after the knockdowns in the third. And, in truth, Rubio’s extraordinary wherewithal to get up from the ground, and keep fighting with activity, was enough to swing the fight in his favor, scooping a win on points.
Prelim Results From Zuffa Boxing on Paramount+
Vlad Panin beat Shinard Bunch by ninth-round knockout at welterweight
Joshua Juarez beat Jardae Anderson by unanimous decision at heavyweight
Jaycob Ramos and Ethan Perez shared a draw at featherweight
Brady Ochoa beat Adrian Miguel Serrano by majority draw at lightweight
Emiliano Alvarado beat Erick Rosado by unanimous decision at featherweight
How to watch Opetaia vs Glanton live online
The fight is streaming on Paramount+ providing you are subscribed to the app. Plans start at $8.99 for those in the US. In Australia, plans start at $7.99.
UK fans can watch the main card, and the rest of the event, on Zuffa Boxing’s YouTube channel.
What is Paramount+?
Paramount+ is now the exclusive home for UFC and Zuffa Boxing. Under a landmark deal, fans can stream every numbered event and Fight Night live at no extra cost.
Plans start at $8.99 monthly, but combat sports fans can save by choosing the $89.99 annual pass. This brings the recurring cost down to roughly $7.50 per month, providing year-round access to the Octagon and the Zuffa ring without the hassle of traditional Pay-Per-View fees.
Opetaia vs Glanton tale of the tape
| Fighter Facts | Jai Opetaia | Brandon Glanton |
| Nickname | N/A | BULLETPROOF |
| Nationality | Australian (Gold Coast) | American (Atlanta) |
| Age | 30 | 34 |
| Height | 6′ 2″ (188 cm) | 6′ 0″ (183 cm) |
| Reach | 76″ (193 cm) | 79″ (201 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Professional Record | 29–0-0 | 21–3 |
| KOs | 23 | 18 |
| KO % | 80% | 88% |
| Last 3 Fights | 3-0 (W, W, W) | 2-1 (W, L, W) |
| Current Odds | -1,600 (Favorite) | +1,100 (Underdog) |
Fight Records (Last 5 Bouts)
| Fighter | Result | Opponent | Method | Date |
| Jai Opetaia | Win | Huseyin Cinkara | KO (8 Rds) | Dec. 6, 2025 |
| Win | Claudio Squeo | KO (4 Rds) | Jun. 8, 2025 | |
| Win | David Nyika | KO (5 Rds) | Jan. 8, 2025 | |
| Win | Jack Massey | TKO (6 Rds) | Dec. 10, 2024 | |
| Win | Mairis Briedis | UD (12 Rds) | May 18, 2024 | |
| Brandon Glanton | Win | Marcus Browne | RTD (Rd 6) | Oct. 1, 2025 |
| Loss | Chris Billam-Smith | UD (12 Rds) | Apr. 26, 2025 | |
| Win | Aleksei Egorov | KO (Rd 11) | Jun. 7, 2024 | |
| Win | Emil Markic | TKO (Rd 2) | Jan. 28, 2024 | |
| Win | Carlos Fromenta Romero | TKO (Rd 3) | Oct. 18, 2023 |
Jai Opetaia vs Brandon Glanton fight time
- Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
- Main Card Starts: 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT
- Main Event Ring Walks (Approx): 7.30 p.m. PT / 10.30 p.m. ET / 3.30 a.m. GMT
The broadcast for the main card begins 6 p.m. local time (PT). This means 9 p.m. for those on ET, and 2 a.m. on GMT. To make things easier, we’ve put the global fight times below.
| Region | City | Main Card Starts | Ring Walks (Approx) |
| US & Canada (Local) | Las Vegas / Vancouver | 6:00 PM PT | 7:30 PM PT |
| US & Canada (Eastern) | New York / Toronto | 9:00 PM ET | 10:30 PM ET |
| UK & Ireland (GMT) | London / Dublin | 2:00 AM GMT | 3:30 AM GMT |
| Central Europe | Berlin / Madrid | 3:00 AM CET | 4:30 AM CET |
| Australia (Sunday) | Sydney / Melbourne | 1:00 PM AEDT Monday | 2:30 PM AEDT Sunday |
| New Zealand (Sunday) | Auckland | 3:00 PM NZDT Sunday | 4:30 PM NZDT Sunday |
Opetaia and Glanton aren’t the only two squaring off at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas – below is our pick of the undercard.
- The Co-Main Event: Ricardo Salas fights Jesus Saracho in a welterweight battle, with both fighters seemingly well-matched on paper.
Opetaia vs Glanton our prediction
Jai Opetaia to win by knockout in rounds 10 to 12.
Closing thoughts
“IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia is still searching for his next career-defining fight despite signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing,” writes Boxing Social reporter Adam Noble-Forcey. “His American and Zuffa debut pits him against one-time world challenger Brandon Glanton on Sunday in Las Vegas.
“While his move to White has broken headlines, Opetaia’s next opponent doesn’t. During his stint as a two-time cruiserweight champion, his dream of claiming undisputed supremacy in the division has eluded him.
“His brutal war with Mairis Briedis in his homeland was not given the credit it deserved, largely due to no television broadcaster outside of Australia airing his first title win, where he received a double broken jaw. Opetaia would have to wait over a year to defend his title in a fourth-round stoppage against Jordan Thompson at Wembley Arena. A rematch with Briedis would be called by the IBF, resulting in his title being stripped. He would reclaim his title with a unanimous-decision victory. He screamed to square off with the other champions in the division, but instead defended his belt against Jack Massey, Claudio Squeo, and Huseyin Cinkara — a far cry from the division’s elite.
“The bout against Glanton follows in the same direction. Glanton is a good fighter, but every time he steps up near world level, he can’t make it over the line. Opetaia’s search for a marquee fight is still pending despite the media frenzy surrounding his move Stateside.”