Fans who were excited for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing event are now having second thoughts. Dana White’s new promotion is scheduled to make its debut on January 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Over the past few weeks, social media has buzzed with rumors about which fighters might appear on the card ahead of UFC’s first Paramount-era show.

With just two weeks to go, Dana White finally announced the main event – junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh will face middleweight veteran Carlos Ocampo. But the decision didn’t sit well with everyone. Fans quickly took to social media to voice their concerns.

Dana White finally reveals Zuffa Boxing’s debut headliner

During an interview with Stephen A. Smith, White said, “I’m going to have all these up-and-coming guys.” Ocampo was the first fighter he highlighted. Calling the Mexican boxer a seasoned veteran, he explained, “His only losses are in title fights. Three title fight losses.”

Ocampo has stopped 26 of his 38 opponents, more than Walsh has total bouts. “He has more knockouts than Callum has fights. Callum is undefeated at 15-0, and it’s the main event,” White added. Ocampo challenged Errol Spence Jr. for the IBF welterweight title in 2018.

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His next two fights were interim title bouts, and he lost both. Sebastian Fundora beat him first, followed by a first-round knockout loss to Tim Tszyu. Ocampo then took a break before returning in early 2025, when he won three fights, all by knockout. On the other hand, Walsh, who has appeared on UFC Fight Pass cards, is coming off a decision win over Fernando Vargas.

White called the matchup “a bada** boxing event.” But many fans weren’t buying it.

Fans sound off after White names the headliner

One fan said White sounded out of touch. “He sounds clueless and not much passion there, no individuality for his boxing promoting either, just a ‘bada**’ fight like he’d say about a UFC fight, just with less enthusiasm,” the fan wrote. Since this is Zuffa’s debut, White and his team may be trying to play it safe instead of going all in and risking an early stumble.

Some fans weren’t thrilled with Walsh headlining the show. “They’re really trying to push Walsh on us, and nobody seems to be interested. Hopefully Ocampo wins,” one wrote. Walsh’s last fight against Fernando Vargas on the Crawford-Canelo undercard was widely seen as underwhelming. Although he won by unanimous decision, the performance failed to impress.

Criticism kept rolling in. One fan summed it up: “What is the opposite of coming out with a bang? Because this is it.” Headlining a debut event without any recognizable stars feels like a strange choice. As the promotion grows, fans will expect bigger names on the roster.

White did get some backing, however.

“Zuffa will swallow all the mid-tier and low-tier fighters, and once this generation of elite fighters that expect big purses retires, Zuffa will be in the number 1 position,” one supporter wrote. With a rumored roster that includes former title challengers like Ocampo, Zuffa has made a solid start. It would be unrealistic to expect a brand-new promotion to sign all the biggest names immediately.

The main event encouraged some fans: “If this is the level Zuffa boxing will be at, then I don’t mind it.”

Walsh’s 73 percent knockout rate and Ocampo’s 68 percent suggest a competitive, action-friendly matchup.

Dana White’s move reflects practical business sense rather than pure hype.

Maybe fans should wait and see how the event unfolds. If the matchmaking delivers and the fights produce excitement and early stoppages, it could be enough to bring people back when Zuffa returns for its second show.