Zuffa Boxing Moves Forward With Opetaia-Mikaelian Despite Don King Productions Complaint

Zuffa Boxing intends to proceed with the cruiserweight fight between Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Zuffa Boxing and UFC CEO Dana White confirmed on Tuesday that the cruiserweight matchup between Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian will proceed this Saturday. The bout serves as the co-feature for the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn WBC welterweight championship event in Las Vegas. This confirmation follows a cease and desist letter sent by Don King Productions (DKP) to TKO Group Holdings and Zuffa Boxing, alleging that DKP holds exclusive promotional rights for Mikaelian.

According to ESPN, the legal notice classified the promotion of the fight as tortious interference with an existing agreement. The letter, sent to TKO senior vice president Isabelle Mercer, demanded the immediate cancellation and public announcement of the bout's removal from the schedule. White addressed the dispute at a Contender Series event, stating that Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) will compete as planned and denied that Zuffa attempted to interfere with any standing contracts.

With four days remaining until the scheduled fight, DKP has not yet announced further legal action. Mikaelian, an Armenian fighter and two-time WBC cruiserweight champion, is set to face Opetaia despite the demand from DKP to halt the contest immediately.