Dana White has big plans for King Callum Walsh his latest Irish project

Maybe not Conor McGregor big but Dana White believes Callum Walsh [4(3)-0] has the potential to generate sizable hype and grow into something special.

The 21-year-old Cork fighter has been collecting admirers at a rapid pace ever since he walked into the famous Wild Card Gym and asked to train just over a year ago.

Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach was the first big stateside name to sign up to the light middleweight’s fan club and was quickly followed by some well-known fighters, 360 Promotions boss Tom Loeffler and then UFC President Dana White.

His impressive knockout laden start have seen him develop into a UFC Fight Pass bill topper and speaking ahead of ‘The King’s’ step-up fight with Delen Parsley [13(4)-1(0)] in Hollywood this week, White suggests he will soon top bigger bills.

“We’ve had a lot of success with the Irish here with Conor and I think this kid could become extremely popular with the Irish,” White said. “I’m not saying he’s going to be [as popular as] Conor, but he’s a great kid and he has a really fun fighting style. We can take him to New York and Boston and really build him into something.”

Legendary fight trainer is also a fan and is backing the Cork light middle to be a success.

“He’s a very good puncher, he throws combinations really well and he has very good fundamentals,” Roach said. “He’s getting better and better all the time and he has a great work ethic.

“The kid can fight, for sure. He has that power and he has that exciting style that people like, and he has a lot of potential to do some very good things in this business.”