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Jai Opetaia’s top career wins ranked
Jai Opetaia’s top career wins ranked
On Saturday, December 6, at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Jai Opetaia vs Huseyin Cinkara headlines a Tasman Fighters event, live on Stan Pay-Per-View in Australia, while the rest of the world can do so on UFC Fight Pass. As we edge closer to Opetaia’s (28-0, 22 KOs) latest IBF cruiserweight defence, we rank the Australian’s best wins.
Jai Opetaia’s best wins ranked
1. David Nyika
On January 8, 2025, at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Jai Opetaia faced unbeaten New Zealander David Nyika. It was a bright start from the challenger, walking Opetaia down. However, the Aussie quickly found his groove, firing back, outpunching the New Zealander.
Opetaia began to land with relative ease, and despite the bravery of Nyika, round four was the end. A flush right hand from Opetaia dropped him. Although Nyika beat the count, he was clearly on borrowed time.
The IBF champ quickly followed up with a series of vicious hooks that sent Nyika crashing to the canvas once more, prompting the referee to wave it off immediately. It was a brutal KO, and one that left Nyika on the canvas for some minutes.
2. Mairis Briedis I
The second-best Jai Opetaia win we’re picking is his first win against Mairis Briedis. On July 2, 2022, the Australian fighter challenged the then-IBF champion Briedis.
It was ultimately a brutal war, with Opetaia breaking his jaw in the early part of the fight. Despite breaking his jaw, Opetaia started brightly, picking his punches, throwing with plenty of venom.
Briedis showed his experience and came back in the later rounds, landing heavy punches, as both traded bombs. In the end, the cleaner work came from Opetaia, and he secured a unanimous decision win, with scorecards of 116-112, 116-112, and 115-113 to become the IBF cruiserweight champion.
3. Jack Massey
After his rematch win over Mairis Briedis, Jai Opetaia defended his IBF cruiserweight crown against Jack Massey at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on October 12, 2024.
It didn’t take long for the relentless pressure from Opetaia to start taking its toll on Massey. Opetaia’s footwork enabled him to create angles, attacking the body before moving out of danger.
The precision and variety from Opetaia were most striking as he gradually broke Massey down. Nearing the end of round six, Massey’s trainer, Joe Gallagher, had seen enough and stepped in to end the fight.
The sharp punching and power from Opetaia proved too much for the Brit, as Opetaia retained his IBF strap.
Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of Jai Opetaia vs Huseyin Cinkara, including results and video highlights, and post-fight analysis.
Freelance Writer and Digital Marketer, spending most of his time waiting for Andy Cruz to win a world title. Also watches YouTube videos of Lennox Lewis fights on a daily basis.
