David Benavidez set the terms for cruiserweight titles: fight him outside Zuffa or forget your shot, after dismantling Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas.
“If he wants to make that fight, we can get that fight… We can’t make no fights happen over there,” Benavidez said about rival Jai Opetaia at the post-fight press conference for his devastating sixth-round stoppage.
Benavidez elaborated on the situation with Opetaia and the current Zuffa league politics: “I don’t know why [Opetaia] went to Zuffa. We could have made this fight right after this one. Now, I don’t know if he got stripped by the IBF and what it is, what it isn’t. I’m not even going there — I’m not fighting for a Zuffa title.”
He continued: “But, I mean, I don’t know. I think I’ll definitely fight him in the future,” Benavidez said.
“I respect Opetaia; I think he’s a great fighter. He has to come back over here [away from Zuffa] to make these fights happen.”
“I think everybody knows what it’s about. It’s just a lot of politics in that, you know?”
Zuffa Fighters Face Title Roadblocks
Zuffa has begun snapping up an array of former cruiserweight champions and contenders. Jai Opetaia was a titleholder until he stepped into the format and got stripped for competing for the Zuffa belt.
Brandon Glanton, Ryan Rozicki, and ex-WBO ruler Chris Billam-Smith are also signed up.
Benavidez warned how the league format could limit opportunities: “Dana White has shown that he doesn’t want to do fights with PBC. He hasn’t.
“I don’t want to even feel like—I don’t want to sound like I’m disrespecting, but it just—that’s just what it looks like from the outside.”
Implications for Future Matchups
The consequences are clear: fighters within Zuffa may find their opportunities to fight for sanctioning titles restricted, while PBC-sanctioned bouts become the only viable path to challenge Benavidez.
Benavidez’s post-fight remarks set a firm boundary: rivals must step outside Zuffa to earn a legitimate title shot, meaning the division’s future match-ups and the scope of potential championship opportunities face roadblocks or uncertainty.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
