Deontay Wilder has an opponent for the biggest boxing night of 2026, and it’s a man who has never lost. Dana White announced Wednesday morning that the former WBC heavyweight champion will face undefeated cruiserweight titlist Jai Opetaia in the co-main event of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua on Friday, December 11, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The card streams live on Netflix.
White broke the news in an Instagram video and followed with a post on X that opened, “BOOOOOM!!!! Wilder vs Opetaia is OFFICIAL in Cardiff, Wales.” In the video, the UFC CEO confirmed that Opetaia is moving up to heavyweight for the fight.
“Wilder’s one of the most dangerous punchers in the sport, and Opetaia is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, undefeated,” White said.
View post on X
He also passed along a stat that sums up why this one got the co-main slot: “these two guys have a combined 67 knockouts.” On X, White put Wilder’s knockout rate at 95% and noted Opetaia’s perfect 31-0 record.
Who’s actually running this show
The announcement lands in the middle of a strange tug-of-war over the event itself. White has said repeatedly that he will promote Fury vs. Joshua. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s longtime promoter, has pushed back, insisting White is contractually barred from any official involvement in the Cardiff card, according to Bloody Elbow. Whatever the paperwork says, White is the one standing in front of a camera telling people what the co-main is. Bloody Elbow also flagged a separate report that Misfits Boxing is in advanced negotiations with Hearn over a $10 million offer to fight White, which tells you how personal the back-and-forth between those two has gotten.
The matchup on paper is simple to explain to anyone. Wilder, nicknamed the Bronze Bomber, is a former heavyweight world champion whose right hand has ended the night for almost everyone he’s faced, if White’s 95% figure holds. Opetaia arrives as the reigning king at cruiserweight, unbeaten through 31 professional fights, and he’s choosing to walk up a division to meet the hardest puncher he could possibly pick for a heavyweight debut.
The winner of Fury vs. Joshua will own the headlines in Cardiff. Wilder and Opetaia get the slot right before them, in a stadium full of fans who came for heavyweight violence.
Quick take
I love this booking, and the reason is the risk. A cruiserweight champion with a spotless record could have stayed home, defended his belts, and padded that 31-0. Instead Opetaia is putting his zero on the line against a man whose whole career is built on the idea that one punch changes everything. If Opetaia’s speed and movement carry up in weight, he walks out of Cardiff as a heavyweight problem for everybody. If he gets caught once, the whole room will hear it. Either way, December 11 just got a fight worth staying on the couch for before the main event walks out.
