“We’re chasing undisputed. That’s my dream. Look at the last few undisputed fighters. You’ve got (Terence) Crawford, you’ve got (Oleksandr) Usyk, legends of the sport.
“I want my name up there like that.”
Opetaia currently holds the IBF cruiserweight championship but could face disciplinary action if the sanctioning body refuses to recognize the Glanton bout, which is scheduled to crown the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight titleholder. Reports have circulated this week claiming the IBF has instructed him to choose between defending his belt or fighting for the new title.
The Australian rejected those claims and insisted the situation had been misreported.
“False! I want to work with the IBF, you know. And they’re not being shut out. I want to go uncontested. And unless the IBF jumps on board and works with us, man, my dreams become a fantasy.”
Opetaia also addressed speculation surrounding the negotiations.
“Just don’t listen to everything you read on the internet, you should know this bro. People always jump to conclusions.
“People just want to make out like they know (what’s going on), so everybody clicks their thing. They don’t know st, bro! They honestly don’t know st. It’s a completely made up scenario.”
The cruiserweight division continues to run through the established sanctioning bodies. To go undisputed, Opetaia still needs to collect the WBA, WBC and WBO belts along with the IBF title he already holds.
If the IBF ultimately refuses to sanction the Glanton fight, Opetaia could lose his belt. That decision will complicate the immediate cruiserweight title picture while the division waits to see if Zuffa’s belt structure can co-exist with the existing championship system.
Opetaia vs Glanton match details:
Date: Sunday 8 March 2026
Venue: Meta APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (UFC/Zuffa Facility)
Start times (main map; approximate):
Las Vegas (PT): 6 p.m
New York (ET): 9 p.m
London (GMT): 02:00 (Monday 9 March)
