Zuffa Boxing officially has its first main event booked, as undefeated Irish fighter Callum Walsh will headline the promotion’s inaugural fight card on Jan. 23 from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada,
LIVE on Paramount+.
This is according to UFC CEO, Dana White, who confirmed to Stephen A. Smith that a clash between Walsh and Mexican veteran Carlos Ocampo will serve as Zuffa Boxing’s first headliner. Check it out below:
“When I talk about matchmaking, I’m going to have all these up-and-coming guys,” said White. “We have this kid named Ocampo, who is a seasoned veteran. His only losses are in title fights – three title fight losses. He has more knockouts than Callum has fights. Callum, undefeated, 15-0, and it’s the main event. Should be a badass boxing event.”
White, who started his professional career in the world of boxing, has long desired to create his own boxing promotion. It has taken White much longer than expected to put the pieces together, but Zuffa Boxing is finally taking off in 2026 and will join UFC on Paramount+ for fight fans to enjoy everywhere.
With such a big move White needs to bolster the card to make a lasting impact, especially as he aims to prove his way of running a promotion will work in boxing as well as it does in MMA. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see White turn to Walsh to headline Zuffa Boxing’s debut. After all, Walsh is White’s guy and already turned in an undefeated 15-0 pro record in just four years (including this Knockout of the Year candidate).
Luckily for Walsh, he’ll have a good chance to turn in an impressive outing later this month. That’s because Ocampo is a beatable opponent. The 30-year-old veteran has an impressive 38 wins on his pro record, but he’s lost two fights since late-2022 and has proven to be a very hittable fighter. It will be up to Walsh to cash in for his first-ever Zuffa Boxing main event.
