The Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion will face Brandon Glanton in a 12-round bout at Meta Apex in Las Vegas for the Zuffa cruiserweight title on Paramount+ (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT). If Opetaia wins his U.S. debut, it would set the stage for a potential matchup against the winner of the May 2 David Benavidez-Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez fight next.

Opetaia views the clash for Ramirez’s WBA and WBO titles as an even bout, but is giving a slight edge to Benavidez, who holds the WBC light heavyweight belt. Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1-ranked 200-pounder, and Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) were both former world champions at super middleweight before moving up in weight.

Ramirez, a 34-year-old Mexican, has gone 4-0 at cruiserweight, while Benavidez, 29, of Phoenix will be making his debut in the weight class when they headline a PBC PPV on Prime show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“They're both coming up from a weight, so it's an even matchup,” Opetaia said on the Mr. Versace Podcast. “I don't know too much about Zurdo, to be honest. He's a good fighter. I've never thought he was a bad fighter or anything like that, but I actually like Benavidez’s headspace, and he seems like he's more hungry. He's chasing the last name, and he talks about the journey with his old man.

“I don't know much about Zurdo, so I’m not bad-mouthing him, but the legacy of why [Benavidez is] doing it, and he's just pumped up, and he's younger and s--- like that. I'm sort of leaning towards Benavidez.”

Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) became the Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion in 2022 when he defeated Mairis Briedis by unanimous decision. The Aussie has since defended the titles seven times, including beating Briedis by unanimous decision in their rematch in 2024. In his last fight, the 30-year-old southpaw defeated Huseyin Cinkara by eighth-round knockout on Dec. 6.

Whether Opetaia's IBF title will be on the line against Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) remains to be seen. The New Jersey-based sanctioning body hasn’t decided if it will sanction the fight or potentially strip Opetaia because he's not making a mandatory defense.

Glanton, a 34-year-old from Atlanta who is ranked No. 10 by The Ring, is coming off the most significant win of his career, a sixth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight title challenger Marcus Browne on Oct. 1.

Should Opetaia get past Glanton, he hopes the winner of the Benavidez-Ramirez fight will be standing across from him soon.

“I just want this fight to be done," Opetaia said, "so we can get ours on."