Dana White Confirms Inaugural Zuffa Boxing Event Headliner

Zuffa Boxing will soon hold its first event.

Aug 25, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC president Dana White during weigh ins for the fight between Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Zuffa Boxing will officially launch on Jan. 23 with a familiar Dana White star headlining the inaugural event.

The UFC CEO confirmed the date of the TKO boxing promotion's first official event in late 2025. White waited until two weeks out to announce that it will be headlined by Irish prospect Callum Walsh, who will take on recent title challenger Carlos Ocampo in the main event.

White broke the news in a sit-down interview on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

Dana White has confirmed that a bout between Callum Walsh and Carlos Ocampo will headline the first Zuffa Boxing show on January 23rd in Las Vegas 🥊 pic.twitter.com/Cc41egQTHx

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) January 10, 2026

Walsh, 24, has been White's No. 1 boxing prospect since before he announced the formation of Zuffa Boxing. Walsh had previously fought for 360 Promotions, which had been broadcasting events on UFC Fight Pass for over a year.

'King' recently improved to 15-0 with a unanimous decision win over Fernando Vargas Jr. in the co-main event of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight card. Walsh cruised to the victory, but he was bashed by fans on social media for his tepid performance as an overwhelming betting favorite.

Walsh is currently the No. 4-ranked 154-pound contender by the IBF and No. 5 by the WBC. Ironically, he is not ranked by The Ring, which is the only rankings Zuffa Boxing will recognize.

Ocampo, 30, has over double the experience, sporting a 35-3 professional record. The Mexican is just 1-2 in his last three fights, but both losses were in world title fights, losing to Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu by decision and knockout, respectively.

Ocampo's challenge against Fundora came four years after his first world title fight. The 30-year-old initially broke through with boxing fans when he fought Errol Spence Jr. for the IBF welterweight title in June 2018, losing by first-round knockout.

Callum Walsh, Carlos Ocampo headline first Zuffa Boxing event

Sep 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Callum Walsh (orange trunks) and Fernando Vargas Jr. (silver trunks) box during their bout at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

White announced the main event, but he would not provide any information about the rest of the card. Zuffa Boxing is taking a wait-and-see approach with its opening event, only announcing the date, location and broadcast platform.

Walsh and Ocampo are likely the only fighters most fans would recognize on the card. White has made it known that Zuffa Boxing is honing in on its developmental process, saying he wants to sign the best "up-and-coming guys" in the sport.

ARE YOU READY 😤#ZuffaBoxing01 is coming to the Apex LIVE on JAN 23! 🥊

Watch on @ParamountPlus | 9pmET pic.twitter.com/2feb7D2x2Z

— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) January 9, 2026

The Turki Alalshikh-backed promotion is set to have one event per month for the next year. All events will be broadcast on Paramount+, with which TKO inked a reported five-year deal.

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