Fans deliver mixed reaction to Jai Opetaia signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing

Zuffa Boxing, headed up by Dana White, has announced its first truly significant signing in IBF Cruiserweight World Champion, Jai Opetaia.

The new promotion launches officially with Zuffa Boxing 01 on January 23. The main event sees super-welterweight Callum Walsh will take on Carlos Ocampo. With two more shows already slated, all taking place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, White looks set to deliver on his promise of activity.

That was perhaps always a given, but what many had questioned was the level of competition, with the general belief being Zuffa will look to build stars rather than sign them. Though that will certainly be a key strategy, White has now made a statement move by securing the signature of Opetaia, one of the sport’s most explosive and avoided world champions.

Speaking alongside the announcement, Opetaia — who previously had a co-promotional partnership with Tasman Fighters and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom — said that his goal remains the same.

“Signed with Zuffa Boxing now. Pumped for the future. Exciting times. Let’s get these big fights over the line. Unification [and] undisputed soon. Let’s go.”

Opetaia, who most recently stopped Huseyin Cinkara inside four rounds, has been banging the drum for unification fights for some time now, but failed in his attempt to lure fellow champions Gilberto Ramirez or Badou Jack — who recently lost the WBC belt to Noel Mikaelian — into the ring.

It’s a typical statement of intent from a reigning world champion, however Opetaia’s words go directly against what White has said in the past about his willingness to work within the current system of the sport.

“There will be a Zuffa belt, and then there will be a Ring belt. I will not recognise any of the other sanctioning bodies.”

The contrast led to many fans criticising Opetaia’s move, with one on X calling it a ‘s–t decision’ that would see the knockout artist ‘fight bums for the rest of his career.’ Many others highlighted the dilemma of the belts, and questioned whether or not this signals a chance of tact from Zuffa.

On the other hand, there was some excitement in White’s ability to push Opetaia to the next level, with one commenter looking forward to a much-touted move up to heavyweight and others showing confidence that he would cross over into more mainstream stardom. It was also branded a ‘massive move’ for the fledgling promotion, and ‘the first domino to fall’ in the changing of the sport.

Welcome to the Zuffa Boxing family! 🥊

🇦🇺 @JaiOpetaia1 is officially inked! pic.twitter.com/OcSPN9e5p9

— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) January 17, 2026

The reaction has been mixed, or generally confused, making Opetaia’s next move — particularly what he does with his IBF World Title — all the more intriguing.