MJF To Defend World Title Outside AEW

MJF’s next AEW World Championship defence will take place far from an AEW ring, and against a rising name looking for the biggest win of his career.

The AEW World Champion is set to face Zilla Fatu at House of Glory’s No Turning Back event on February 20 at the NYC EventSpace in Jamaica, Queens. The bout will be a champion versus champion encounter, with Fatu entering as HOG Crown Jewel Champion, though only MJF’s AEW World Championship will be on the line.

The event takes place less than an hour from MJF’s hometown of Plainview, New York, giving the defence a homecoming feel. In a promotional video, MJF addressed members of Fatu’s famous Anoa’i wrestling family, including Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi.

MJF’s AEW World Title Reign

The appearance comes just days after MJF retained the AEW World Championship against Brody King at Grand Slam Australia on February 14. He secured the win with the Heat Seeker on the ring apron, marking the third successful defence of his current reign, which began when he defeated Samoa Joe at World’s End in December to become a two-time champion.

MJF has also defended the title against Bandido on Dynamite: Maximum Carnage and Alec Price at Limitless Wrestling, where he announced the AEW signings of Price and Jordan Oliver. The House of Glory match will be his second title defence outside AEW during this run.

Fatu, the son of the late WWE star Umaga, has built momentum on the independent circuit while drawing attention as a member of the Anoa’i family. The 25-year-old trained under Booker T at Reality of Wrestling and has held championships in both ROW and House of Glory.

The match represents the biggest opportunity of Fatu’s career so far, as MJF continues his march toward a likely AEW World Championship defence against “Hangman” Adam Page at Revolution on March 15.