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Ryan Garcia makes the first defense of his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the card picked up a late legal complication this week when promoter Don King moved to block the co-main event.
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Here is the full lineup, the start times, how to watch, and everything worth knowing before Saturday.
Garcia vs. Benn Key Facts
|
Detail |
Info |
|---|---|
|
Main event |
Ryan Garcia (c) vs. Conor Benn, WBC welterweight title, 12 rounds |
|
Date |
Saturday, September 12, 2026 |
|
Venue |
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas |
|
Prelims |
5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT |
|
Main card |
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT |
|
United States |
Paramount+, included with any plan |
|
UK and Ireland |
DAZN pay-per-view |
|
Promoters |
Zuffa Boxing and Ring Magazine |
|
Garcia record |
25-2, 20 KOs |
|
Benn record |
25-1, 14 KOs |
|
Bouts |
Nine |
How to Watch Garcia vs. Benn
|
Region |
Platform |
Cost |
Main card |
|---|---|---|---|
|
United States |
Paramount+ |
Included with any plan, no pay-per-view |
8 p.m. ET |
|
Worldwide outside UK and Ireland |
Paramount+ |
Included |
8 p.m. ET |
|
UK and Ireland |
DAZN |
Pay-per-view or Ultimate Tier |
1 a.m. BST Sunday |
Prelims stream on the same platforms starting at 5 p.m. ET.
The card is the second half of a combat-sports doubleheader on Paramount+. Noche UFC runs earlier the same day from Glendale, Arizona.
Garcia vs. Benn Full Card
Announced bouts, in the order Zuffa has them.
- Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, welterweight, WBC title, 12 rounds
- Jai Opetaia vs. Noel Mikaelian, cruiserweight, 12 rounds
- Mark Magsayo vs. Andres Cortes, lightweight, 10 rounds
- Jose Ramirez vs. Alexis Rocha
- Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs. Raphael Akpejiori, heavyweight
- Sean Garcia, prelims
Zuffa lists nine bouts in total. The remaining prelim matchups have not been broken out on the official card page.
The Co-Main Event Is in Legal Trouble
Don King Productions delivered a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and parent company TKO Group Holdings on Tuesday, demanding that the Opetaia vs. Mikaelian bout be cancelled.
King’s attorney argues that Don King Productions is Mikaelian’s exclusive worldwide promoter, that Zuffa engaged the fighter without permission, and that the arrangement amounts to tortious interference with an existing promotional agreement. The letter also demands that Zuffa announce the cancellation publicly and stop all further business dealings with Mikaelian.
The letter says TKO executives had held at least one virtual meeting with King about a deal covering Mikaelian, including a fight with Opetaia, and that no agreement was reached before Zuffa went directly to the fighter’s manager and attorney.
Zuffa is not backing off. Dana White has said publicly that the fight is going ahead Saturday. Mikaelian has maintained that his contract permits him to identify and accept competing offers, and a legal official familiar with the agreement has said they do not expect the bout to be stopped.
As of Tuesday night, the official card still lists Opetaia vs. Mikaelian in the co-main slot.
Conor Benn Is Making 147 for the First Time Since 2022
This is the storyline that could decide the fight before the opening bell.
Benn has not made the welterweight limit since April 2022, when he stopped Chris van Heerden in the second round. Everything since has come at heavier weights. He has described the cut back to 147 as excruciating, and he has said this will be his last fight in the division, with a move as high as 168 pounds on the table afterward.
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That creates an odd scenario. Benn could win a world title on Saturday and vacate the division almost immediately.
The Bad Blood Is Real
Security has already had to separate these two. At Fanatics Fest in July, Garcia and Benn traded insults and had to be pulled apart when they moved to get face-to-face.
It has not cooled off during fight week. Garcia has kept mocking Benn publicly, and Benn has waved the behavior off as childish.
What Garcia Is Predicting
Garcia has said Benn gets knocked out in five rounds or fewer. This week he said he is coming with mean intentions and wants a statement win.
The power is there on both sides. Between them, Garcia and Benn have 34 knockouts in 50 professional wins. Garcia has stopped 20 of his 25 opponents and Benn has stopped 14 of his 25, which gives the fight a finishing threat from either corner despite two very different styles.
What Is at Stake for Both Men
Garcia won the WBC welterweight title in February with a wide unanimous decision over Mario Barrios, in this same building. It was his first world championship and it steadied a career that had gone sideways. Saturday is defense number one.
For Benn, it is a first world-title fight. The WBC welterweight belt carries family weight for him. His father, Nigel Benn, was a world champion, and the son has never fought for a title of his own until now.
Why This Card Owns the Weekend
Garcia and Benn have the Mexican Independence Day weekend spotlight in Las Vegas largely to themselves. Canelo Alvarez, who has owned that date for years, is not fighting until October 31. That leaves Garcia headlining T-Mobile Arena on September 12 while the UFC runs its own Mexican Independence Day card in Arizona earlier the same afternoon.
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This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 8:56 PM.