Zuffa Boxing’s Opening Night Puts Walsh and Rodriguez in the Spotlight
Zuffa Boxing staged its inaugural event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas on January 23, 2026. Callum Walsh defeated Carlos Ocampo in the main event, while Julian Rodriguez and Cain Sandoval supplied the bout that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Walsh wins the first headliner
Walsh completed ten rounds at middleweight and won a unanimous decision on scores of 98–90, 98–90 and 97–91. The unbeaten Irish boxer used accurate southpaw punching to maintain control, although a sixth-round count briefly complicated his evening.
Misael Rodriguez defeated Austin DeAnda in the co-main event through a doctor stoppage after four rounds. DeAnda reported double vision, ending a contest in which Rodriguez’s positioning and cleaner punching had already established an advantage.
Supporting fights supply the bonuses
Julian Rodriguez outpointed Sandoval after ten action-filled rounds, earning both a performance award and a share of the fight bonus. Robert Meriwether III also received a performance award for his six-round decision over Cesar Correa.
The Paramount+ broadcast therefore introduced the promotion through a mixture of developing prospects, experienced challengers and different fight lengths. Its first main event reached the scorecards, the co-main ended through medical intervention, and a supporting bout supplied the night’s most celebrated exchange of styles. Those completed results provide the sporting foundation of the launch, with Walsh’s unbeaten record and the bonus winners giving the opening show its immediate competitive story.
Sources
- UFC’s official results
- ufc.com: dana white talks zuffa boxing debut plans growth ali act question marks more
Article Tags
Callum Walsh, Carlos Ocampo, Zuffa Boxing, Julian Rodriguez, Boxing
