Jason Moloney targets a return to bantamweight title contention with Zuffa Boxing debut in Riyadh

Jason “Mayhem” Moloney’s next step toward a second world title is set, with the former bantamweight champion signing with Zuffa Boxing and preparing to make his promotional debut on Saturday night, November 14, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Moloney, an Australia native, is framing the fight as a direct path back into championship contention. reports he will face Mexican contender Andres Teran in the co-main event of Zuffa Boxing 13, and that a victory is intended to position him for another title shot.

The matchup carries added urgency for Moloney because his most recent stretch has included setbacks after earlier high-level title bids. notes he came up short in world-title tilts against IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (2018) and against unified WBA/IBF champion Naoya Inoue (2020), before winning the vacant WBO crown in 2023 by outpointing Vincent Astrolabio.

According to the same account, Moloney successfully defended his world title after capturing it, but later lost the belt on the scorecards to Yoshiki Takei in Tokyo, and was then edged out by former kickboxing standout Tenshin Nasukawa when attempting a quick return to form.

After those defeats, reports Moloney returned home to rebuild with consecutive wins over Herlan Gomez and Andre Donovan, with the latter listed as earning him the IBF inter-continental bantamweight strap, before turning to Zuffa Boxing for another attempt at world-title relevance.

Teran arrives as the opponent Moloney expects to be difficult, with reporting Moloney watched Teran’s Zuffa Boxing debut live in Las Vegas and has been studying his style since. The release also quotes Moloney describing Saturday’s fight as “do or die,” tying the outcome directly to whether he remains on course for another world-title run.