Someone’s ‘0’ is going. Mark Magsayo arrives carrying a five-fight winning streak and a point to prove after back-to-back losses pushed him out of featherweight. Andres Cortes arrives with a perfect 25-0 record and the confidence of a Las Vegas fighter performing in front of his own people. Their lightweight meeting on September 12 opens the Garcia vs Benn main card and has genuine stakes: a Magsayo win proves his lightweight reinvention is real; a Cortes win announces him to a wider audience.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Event | Garcia vs. Benn — Zuffa Boxing / Ring Magazine |
| Date | Saturday, September 12, 2026 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Division | Lightweight (135 lbs) |
| Scheduled Rounds | 10 |
| Broadcast (US) | Paramount+, main card 8pm ET / 5pm PT |
| Broadcast (UK) | DAZN PPV |
Mark Magsayo (29-2, 19 KOs) won a world title at featherweight in 2022 by outworking Gary Russell Jr., then lost the belt to Rey Vargas and Brandon Figueroa in back-to-back fights. The 30-year-old Filipino made the move up to lightweight and it has transformed him. Five straight wins — including a fifth-round corner stoppage over Feargal McCrory in April — show a fighter who is physically stronger and better suited to the weight. He’s spoken about the difference in his punch output and power. Nineteen KOs in 31 fights is a legitimate finisher’s record.
Andres Cortes (25-0, 13 KOs) is unbeaten and has been quietly building a reputation on the Zuffa Boxing platform. The 27-year-old Las Vegas-based fighter headlined Zuffa Boxing 5 in April with a tactical decision win over Eridson Garcia, showing he can box, not just punch. He’s been the one pushing for this fight publicly, calling Magsayo out after they shared the April card. His 52% stoppage rate is solid without being elite, but he’s never been tested at this level.
| Mark Magsayo | Andres Cortes | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 | 27 |
| Nationality | Filipino | American |
| Height | 5’6” / 168cm | 5’7” / 170cm |
| Reach | 68.1” / 173cm | 65” / 165cm |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Record | 29-2-0 | 25-0-0 |
| KOs | 19 (65%) | 13 (52%) |
| Rounds Fought | 180 | 126 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Feargal McCrory | TKO | 5 | Apr 2026 |
| W | Eduardo Ramirez | UD | 10 | Jun 2024 |
| L | Brandon Figueroa | UD | 12 | Mar 2023 |
| L | Rey Vargas | SD | 12 | Jul 2022 |
| W | Gary Russell Jr. | MD | 12 | Jan 2022 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Eridson Garcia | UD | 10 | Apr 2026 |
| W | Derlyn Hernandez | TKO | 4 | Oct 2025 |
| W | Salvador Jimenez | UD | 10 | May 2025 |
| W | Abraham Nova | UD | 10 | Jun 2024 |
| W | Chevalier | TKO | 4 | Feb 2024 |
Magsayo brings the experience advantage — 180 professional rounds, world title fights, and losses that have sharpened rather than broken him. He’s a high-output pressure fighter with decent footwork and a genuine right hand. The move to lightweight has given him a physical presence he didn’t have at 126.
Cortes is the more unknown quantity. His decision win over Eridson Garcia in April showed composure and ring generalship, but Garcia was not an elite opponent. Against a former world champion who has been through the wars at 126 and 135, how Cortes responds when hurt or pushed back is the key question.
Magsayo’s reach advantage (68.1” vs 65”) is meaningful at this level. Cortes will need to be more creative with his movement to find punching room.
Mark Magsayo must:
Andres Cortes must:
Magsayo’s experience edge and physical strength at the weight tilt this fight in his favour. Cortes is talented but unproven against a fighter of this calibre. Magsayo spent two years losing, reinventing himself, and coming back stronger — that kind of history tends to matter when a fight gets hard.
Prediction: Mark Magsayo by majority or unanimous decision. This goes the distance, with Magsayo controlling the second half of the fight and Cortes unable to land anything decisive enough to steal it. A stoppage is possible if Magsayo’s body work lands clean.
United States: Paramount+, main card 8pm ET / 5pm PT. This fight opens the main card.
United Kingdom: DAZN PPV, approximately 1–2am BST Sunday, September 13.
The main event is Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn for the WBC welterweight title. The co-main is Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelyan for the cruiserweight titles.
When is Magsayo vs Cortes? Saturday, September 12, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. It opens the main card at approximately 8pm ET.
Is any title on the line? No — this is a 10-round non-title lightweight bout.
Has Magsayo ever held a world title? Yes — he held the WBC featherweight title after defeating Gary Russell Jr. in January 2022 before losing it to Rey Vargas.
Where is Andres Cortes from? Cortes is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, where this fight takes place — a genuine home advantage.
Is Cortes the favourite? No — Magsayo’s experience, physical size at the weight, and recent form make him the slight favourite despite Cortes’s unbeaten record.
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