Mark Magsayo has already stood on boxing’s highest mountain. Now the 31-year-old from Tagbilaran City, Bohol is trying to climb one no Filipino has ever reached: win a world title under Zuffa Boxing, the upstart promotion where UFC boss Dana White teams up with Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.
Next stop: Andres Cortes on Sept. 12
That bid continues on Sept. 12 (which lands in the early hours of Sunday, Sept. 13 in Manila), when Magsayo makes his second fight under the Zuffa banner against unbeaten American Andres Cortes in a 10-round lightweight bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight sits on the supporting card of the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn clash for the WBC welterweight championship, giving the former champ another chance to perform under the brightest lights.
Fight details at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | Sept. 12, 2026 (early hours of Sept. 13 in Manila) |
| Opponent | Andres Cortes (unbeaten American) |
| Weight class | Lightweight, 10 rounds |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas |
| Main event | Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn for the WBC welterweight title |
The matchup is the latest step in what ESPN has framed as a road less traveled for a boxer who already knows what it feels like to rule a division.
The road to Zuffa
Magsayo became a world champion in 2022 when he ended Gary Russell Jr.’s long WBC featherweight reign. The belt was lost later that year, and what followed was a stretch of frustration: scheduled bouts kept getting canceled while he stayed tied to Premier Boxing Champions, months he has described as a waste of time in his prime. When that contract expired in January, he signed with Zuffa. His debut in April delivered an emphatic stoppage win over Feargal McCrory, immediately reviving his title ambitions.
The Zuffa model, and the debate around it
Zuffa Boxing was co-founded by Dana White and Turki Alalshikh as a disruptor built on the UFC playbook: one champion per weight class instead of the crowded WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO picture, with The Ring magazine’s rankings helping pick contenders. “There is just one ranking and one world champion,” Magsayo said. “It is the same system they have in the UFC.” The centralized model has drawn criticism over matchmaking power and fighter autonomy, but Magsayo is betting it fast-tracks him to a belt.
The Philippines has produced 47 world champions since Pancho Villa became the first in 1923. Magsayo is chasing what would be a Zuffa-era crown no Filipino has worn, and he wants to make the history count. “I signed with Zuffa to be on the biggest shows,” he said. “I am in my prime, and I am ready to shock the world.” He fights next on a weekend full of Filipino boxing storylines, days after Weljon Mindoro absorbed his first career loss. A win over Cortes would push him a step closer to that first-ever Zuffa title.
