Long-reigning UFC champions were an endangered species in 2025. Of the 11 current titleholders, one has a reign that began before the start of last year. But with volatility comes opportunity.
Two champions vacated their titles to move up a division and claim a new belt — lightweight (and former featherweight) champion Ilia Topuria and welterweight (former lightweight) champion Islam Makhachev. Another champ, Zhang Weili, vacated but fell short in a bid to rule a new domain. Three other former UFC champions ended 2025 back on top of their divisions. A couple of first-time champions essentially came out of nowhere.
The two 2025 double titlists, Topuria and Makhachev, head this year’s MMA Rank, but this top 50 list is not simply an acknowledgement of past achievements. It is an ESPN panel’s projection of who will succeed most over the next 12 months based on recent performances, upcoming fights and variables that extend outside the cage.
The order of 50 fighters was determined by a binary model that averages the voting results. Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters assess what could be in store for each athlete in 2026.
50. Anthony Hernandez, UFC men’s middleweight
1:12
Anthony Hernandez submits Roman Dolidze in 4th round
Anthony Hernandez hooks in a rear naked choke to defeat Roman Dolidze.
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 15-2
The no-nonsense Hernandez burned a hole in the middleweight rankings by grinding down both Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze in 2025. His virtually limitless energy will be put to the test against Sean Strickland in February, and a win would catapult him into title contention. — Hale
49. Benoît Saint Denis, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 16-3
It’s difficult to stand out in the lightweight division because it’s so deep with talent. Saint Denis recovered beautifully from his two-fight skid in 2024 with three early finishes in 2025, and he’ll start this year with a matchup against the UFC’s No. 6-ranked contender Dan Hooker next week. He could be ranked inside the top five by the end of this month and return to looking like a lightweight juggernaut. This ranking is almost certainly too low when you think about it that way. — Okamoto
48. Renato Moicano, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: 38
MMA record: 20-7-1
Moicano went 0-2 in 2025, dropping a short-notice challenge to Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title in January then losing to Beneil Dariush in June. Moicano has a chance to turn things around on March 7, when he faces onetime featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega, who handed Moicano his first career loss in 2017. — Wagenheim
47. Cory Sandhagen, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: 36
MMA record: 18-6
Sandhagen lost to Merab Dvalishvili in a challenge for the UFC men’s bantamweight championship at UFC 320 in October, but he is still a top fighter in one of the promotion’s deepest weight classes. Having already lost to nearly all the fighters ranked ahead of him, Sandhagen needs to string together an impressive win streak to earn another crack at the title. — Waters
46. Song Yadong, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 22-8-1
Song pops on the list because of his UFC 324 matchup with Sean O’Malley. That fight could turn Song into an instant title contender. The man who has racked up six performance bonuses might finally realize his potential in 2026. We’ll know just how good he is and how high his ceiling is at the end of his fight with O’Malley. — Hale
45. Sean Brady, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 18-2
Brady enters the year in need of a bounce-back win. Though his first-round knockout loss to Michael Morales was only the second defeat of his professional career, it probably bumped him down the list of potential title challengers. It will take some work to get back to the front of the line, but Brady is one of the best grapplers in a division that is surging. Brady could still be booked for some intriguing matchups in 2026. — Waters
44. Lerone Murphy, UFC men’s featherweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 17-0-1
Murphy is undefeated, including two wins in 2025. But when the UFC featherweight title is put up for grabs on Jan. 31, Murphy won’t be one of the participants. It will be Diego Lopes getting his second shot at Alexander Volkanovski in nine months. Murphy must wait his turn. — Wagenheim
43. Dricus Du Plessis, UFC men’s middleweight
2025 rank: 19
MMA record: 23-3
Du Plessis’ fall from No. 19 last year to No. 43 this year shows just how much his lopsided unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev affected his place in the middleweight division. It was his first UFC loss, but the fact that all three judges scored the bout 50-44 suggests just how one-sided it was. He is No. 2 in ESPN’s middleweight rankings, but as long as Chimaev holds the belt, du Plessis might be multiple wins away from another title shot. — Waters
42. Dakota Ditcheva, PFL women’s flyweight champion
2025 rank: 15
MMA record: 15-0
The only reason Ditcheva isn’t in the top five is because of the promotion for which she fights. The ferocious flyweight finishing machine is lacking opponents in the PFL and is exactly the force of nature that the UFC desperately needs to add to its roster. The only appealing fight for her would be a showdown with Cris Cyborg, but there are an extraordinary number of hurdles in the way. — Okamoto
41. Carlos Prates, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 23-7
Prates is a wild card here because he doesn’t even need to be booked for a UFC title fight to have a monster year. He could never come close to a title fight — and possibly even suffer a loss in 2026 — and still emerge as a bigger, more popular name than he is right now. That’s what happens when you have that «it» factor in and out of the Octagon. He has more potential star power than just about anyone on the roster. — Okamoto
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Charles Oliveira wins via submission to thrill home crowd
Charles Oliveira submits Mateusz Gamrot in the second round to send the Rio crowd into a frenzy.
40. Charles Oliveira, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: 11
MMA record: 36-11
Oliveira is a former UFC lightweight champion, and twice he has made unsuccessful challenges to regain the belt, including in his first of two 2025 fights, a first-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in June. Next up for Oliveira is a shot at a different belt as he will face Max Holloway for the BMF title on March 7. — Wagenheim
39. Payton Talbott, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 11-1
Talbott suffered his first professional loss to open 2025, but he responded impressively, earning wins over Felipe Lima and former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo, respectively. That performance last year was enough to earn him ESPN’s most improved fighter of 2025. Talbott has yet to earn a spot in ESPN’s men’s bantamweight rankings, but that could change soon, as bigger fights await him this year. — Waters
38. Carlos Ulberg, UFC men’s light heavyweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 14-1
Taking out former champion Jan Blachowicz and demolishing Dominick Reyes has put a title opportunity in Ulberg’s crosshairs. But his immediate future will depend largely on Alex Pereira’s next move. If Pereira opts to stay at 205 pounds, there’s a chance Ulberg is next in line. If Pereira moves up to heavyweight, it’s possible Ulberg is slotted into a title fight with Jiří Procházka. Both are exciting options, but one would truly be legacy defining. — Hale
37. Sean O’Malley, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: 25
MMA record: 18-3
The «fall off» has been hard for O’Malley, as he jokingly expressed on his podcast recently. He’s coming up on two years without a win, but in his defense, the person standing in his way was Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley has a chance to almost create a clean slate in 2026 and move on from that nightmare of a matchup with Dvalishvili. If O’Malley knocks out Song Yadong at UFC 324, it could be the first step of a 2026 renaissance. — Okamoto
36. Magomed Ankalaev, UFC men’s light heavyweight
2025 rank: 38
MMA record: 21-2-1
Ankalaev started 2025 by running his unbeaten streak to 14 fights while dethroning one of MMA’s biggest stars, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Things were looking up for Ankalaev — until October, when Pereira won the rematch with a knockout in 80 seconds. Can Ankalaev piece things together in 2026? — Wagenheim
35. Jean Silva, UFC men’s featherweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 16-3
Silva has a chance to bounce back from his first UFC loss when he squares off against Arnold Allen at UFC 324. Silva, who was 5-0 in UFC with five early stoppages before Diego Lopes knocked him out in September, is one of the biggest draws in the featherweight division. With a win over Allen, Silva could open himself up to more matchups against the top fighters at 145 pounds. — Waters
34. Nassourdine Imavov, UFC men’s middleweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 17-4
Imavov’s impressive wins over Caio Borralho and Israel Adesanya have justified his place as the UFC’s No. 2-ranked middleweight and a true title contender. The only question is if he’ll get a crack at Khamzat Chimaev next or have to turn back another contender first to force the UFC to book him in a title fight. He has quietly built up a stacked résumé and could climb higher on the list with the right opponents. — Hale
33. Movsar Evloev, UFC men’s featherweight
2025 rank: 45
MMA record: 19-0
It was a lost year for Evloev in 2025, as he failed to make a single appearance because of injury. He’s now ready to go and has a lot going for him. The undefeated fighter is the UFC’s No. 1 contender at featherweight and the champion, Alexander Volkanovski, wants to fight him. It’s simple for Evloev in 2026: compete and win. It has been a long road, but the opportunities should finally come this year. — Okamoto
32. Justin Gaethje, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 26-5
This could look like a way-too-low ranking by Saturday night, when Gaethje headlines UFC 324 against Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight title. A Gaethje win would set up a showdown with champion Ilia Topuria. Both this weekend’s fight with Pimblett and the potential one with Topuria would be fan-friendly matchups — just like pretty much any Gaethje fight. — Wagenheim
31. Manon Fiorot, UFC women’s flyweight
2025 rank: 24
MMA record: 13-2
Despite losing to Valentina Shevchenko in her first UFC title fight appearance at UFC 315 in May, Fiorot might be one win away from another chance at gold. She bounced back from the unanimous decision loss by picking up a first-round knockout of Jasmine Jasudavicius in October. She doesn’t have a fight booked yet in 2026, but her next opponent will say a lot about where she stands in the title picture. — Waters
30. Ciryl Gane, UFC men’s heavyweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 13-2
An incidental eye poke ruined what was shaping up to be a competitive heavyweight title fight between Gane and Tom Aspinall. They should eventually clash again, and the rematch will be interesting, because Gane looked sharp while neutralizing the champion in the opening minutes of the fight. The issue is that Aspinall has given no timetable for his return, and Gane might want to take another fight in the interim. — Hale
29. Erin Blanchfield, UFC women’s flyweight
2025 rank: 41
MMA record: 14-2
Blanchfield’s outlook improved drastically compared with last year, which is a testament to her skill set and maturity. She was so successful early in her career that some growing pains were expected. She’s still young at 26. This might be the year she takes over the flyweight division. — Okamoto
28. Mackenzie Dern, UFC women’s strawweight champion
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 16-5
Dern fought twice in 2025 but had three wins. In January, she submitted Amanda Ribas to take home a Fight of the Night check. In October, Dern won the vacant UFC strawweight title, beating Virna Jandiroba. The third victory? That came in August, when Zhang Weili vacated the 115-pound title, making room for Dern to have the opportunity of a lifetime. What will Dern do for a 2026 encore? — Wagenheim
27. Diego Lopes, UFC men’s featherweight
2025 rank: 12
MMA record: 27-7
Lopes has a chance to claim the featherweight championship at UFC 325 on Jan. 31. That usually would be enough to rank higher than No. 27 on this list. But his placement was probably affected by the outcome of his last title shot against the same opponent, Alexander Volkanovski, who beat Lopes by unanimous decision in a one-sided fight at UFC 314 in April. If Lopes wins a rematch, he would almost certainly outperform this ranking. With another loss to Volkanovski, Lopes probably would need the belt to change hands to get back into the title picture. — Waters
26. Paddy Pimblett, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 23-3
«The Baddy» crashes the rankings this year after being unranked in 2025. His blowout win over Michael Chandler secured an interim lightweight title fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. Pimblett still seems to be underestimated, but there will be little room left for doubt should he defeat Gaethje. A potential unification fight with Ilia Topuria would be next and allow an opportunity for Pimblett to soar up the list when next year’s rankings are discussed. — Hale
25. Ian Machado Garry, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: 30
MMA record: 17-1
Come December, this ranking for Machado Garry could prove to be extremely low. Machado Garry is on the short list of welterweight title challengers available to face the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev. If he gets the opportunity and wins, Machado Garry might have a bigger year than everyone. — Okamoto
24. Amanda Nunes, UFC women’s bantamweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 23-5
This week was supposed to be the return of the GOAT after nearly three years in retirement. Nunes was scheduled to challenge Kayla Harrison for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship, but Harrison had to undergo neck surgery, postponing the fight. If Harrison is ready to go over the summer, Nunes will take her shot. — Wagenheim
23. Tatsuro Taira, UFC men’s flyweight
2025 rank: 29
MMA record: 18-1
This will be a big year for Taira, who did his part to climb the UFC rankings last year by beating HyunSung Park and Brandon Moreno, respectively. He might stand to benefit the most from former champion Alexandre Pantoja being sidelined by injury, as Pantoja’s absence probably puts Taira in position to challenge for Joshua Van’s flyweight title sometime this year. That alone is enough to earn a spot in the MMA Rank top 25. — Waters
22. Usman Nurmagomedov, PFL men’s lightweight champion
2025 rank: 32
MMA record: 20-0
Nurmagomedov’s rise this year is based on back-to-back wins over Paul Hughes in 2025 and the potential for him to be in free agency in 2026 and make his way to the UFC. The PFL lightweight champion takes on 2025 PFL lightweight tournament winner Alfie Davis on Feb. 7 but has limited options for other marquee fights. A change of scenery to one of the UFC’s deepest divisions would test just how good he is. — Hale
21. Jack Della Maddalena, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: 18
MMA record: 18-3
Della Maddalena slips a few positions, based on his one-sided loss to Islam Makhachev in November. He’s in a deep division and unlikely to get another title fight this year, but a couple of wins would cement him as one of the best fighters in the world and set the table for a monster 2027. — Okamoto
0:32
Joshua Van grabs victory after Alexandre Pantoja breaks arm
After champ Alexandre Pantoja breaks his arm, the co-main event is stopped and Joshua Van is champion.
20. Joshua Van, UFC men’s flyweight champion
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 16-2
What a year 2025 was for Van. He went 4-0, including a win over Brandon Royval that was ESPN’s fight of the year. And that wasn’t even the highlight as he became UFC men’s flyweight champion last month. Yes, his dethroning of Alexandre Pantoja was dubious, as Pantoja suffered an injury just 26 seconds into the fight. Nonetheless, Van begins 2026 in the MMA Rank top 20 after never before appearing on this list. — Wagenheim
19. Natalia Silva, UFC women’s flyweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 19-5-1
Silva has positioned herself to be a major player in the women’s flyweight division this year. Following a dominant unanimous decision win over former titleholder Alexa Grasso, Silva has booked the biggest fight of her UFC career against former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC 324. With a win, Silva could be next to challenge for Valentina Shevchenko’s belt. Even with a loss, Silva could work her way back to a potential title shot this year, because there are plenty of quality matchups for her in the UFC’s top 10. — Waters
18. Max Holloway, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: 17
MMA record: 27-8
Holloway drops one spot on this year’s list. The BMF champion mighy never become lightweight champion, but he’ll always be a fan favorite. His 2026 campaign could be one of the more intriguing to watch. He’ll defend the BMF belt against fellow crowd-pleaser Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March, and a win could create interesting options for Holloway. Is a rematch with Conor McGregor at the White House possible? Holloway-McGregor 2 would easily be one of the biggest fights of the year. — Hale
17. Alexandre Pantoja, UFC men’s flyweight
2025 rank: 9
MMA record: 30-6
Pantoja’s next walk to the Octagon might be the biggest of his career, which is wild considering he has headlined multiple pay-per-view events in UFC title fights. But following a December loss to Joshua Van and an elbow injury, Pantoja’s comeback storyline is strong. — Okamoto
16. Arman Tsarukyan, UFC men’s lightweight
2025 rank: 22
MMA record: 23-3
Tsarukyan won his only fight in 2025. The problem is he was scheduled for two. Last January, he was slated to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship at UFC 311, but a day before the fight, Tsarukyan withdrew because of injury. That did not endear him to UFC CEO Dana White, who booked an interim lightweight title bout for this weekend without Tsarukyan. The UFC’s top-ranked contender was overlooked in favor of a matchup between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, both ranked below him. Tsarukyan has a rough road ahead. — Wagenheim
15. Shavkat Rakhmonov, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: 8
MMA record: 19-0
Rakhmonov’s drop in this year’s rankings seems to have more to do with his absence from competition last year than a result of lowered expectations. After earning a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 in December 2024, Rakhmonov appeared to be next in line for a welterweight title shot, but a knee injury sidelined him all of 2025. The landscape of the division looks much different now that Islam Makhachev has successfully moved up and claimed the title, but when Rakhmonov returns, he will certainly factor into the title picture. With his unique blend of striking and grappling, he could be the fighter with the best chance to dethrone the new champion. He might get the chance this year. — Waters
14. Petr Yan, UFC men’s bantamweight champion
2025 rank: 40
MMA record: 20-5
The man who cracked the code on how to beat Merab Dvalishvili took a massive leap up from No. 40 last year. He put on a phenomenal performance to establish his second reign as bantamweight champion and probably will find himself in a rubber match with Dvalishvili in his next fight. Depending on how Sean O’Malley fares against Song Yadong at UFC 324, Yan might also have an opportunity to avenge another loss on his record against another former champion. Yan’s second title run could put him on the short list of great bantamweight champions, should he have a successful 2026. — Hale
13. Michael Morales, UFC men’s welterweight
2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 19-0
Morales had two appearances in 2025 and collected two first-round knockouts, and not just against anyone. Morales took care of business against veteran Gilbert Burns in May, before running through another legitimate contender in Sean Brady in November. If he continues to live up to hype in 2026, we’re talking about a championship-caliber, star-making kind of year. — Okamoto
12. Zhang Weili, UFC women’s flyweight
2025 rank: 6
MMA record: 26-4
Zhang opened 2025 in February with a UFC title defense against Tatiana Suarez so dominant that it appeared her strawweight reign could go on forever. Instead, Zhang opted to vacate the 115-pound title and move up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko. That November title fight turned into a one-sided Shevchenko win. Zhang has not yet revealed whether she will remain at 125 pounds or return to strawweight, where Mackenzie Dern now holds the belt. A move back to her old weight class seems to be Zhang’s clearest path to being a champion again. — Wagenheim
11. Jiří Procházka, UFC men’s light heavyweight
2025 rank: 42
MMA record: 32-5-1
Procházka climbed 31 spots in the rankings from last year, and for good reason. He bounced back from a title fight loss to Alex Pereira in 2024 with consecutive third-round knockout wins over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr., respectively. Now firmly reestablished as the No. 1 light heavyweight title contender, any other fighter’s path to challenging for the title probably will feature a bout against Procházka. The former champion will be in big fights that will shape the UFC’s 205-pound weight class. — Waters
0:52
Jiří Procházka drops Jamahal Hill en route to TKO win
Jiří Procházka defeats Jamahal Hill via TKO in Round 3 after a series of brutal knockdowns.
10. Tom Aspinall, UFC men’s heavyweight champion
2025 rank: 1
MMA record: 15-3
Aspinall tumbles from No. 1 last year to No. 10, but not because of anything he did in or out of the Octagon. Instead, he’s a victim of a rash of ugly circumstances that include a weak division, an eye injury that has him sidelined indefinitely and Jon Jones’ complete unwillingness to step into the Octagon with him. If and when Aspinall returns, it probably will be against the man whose fingers put him on the shelf, Ciryl Gane. Even if he eventually successfully defends his title against Gane, many wouldn’t put a great deal of stock in the win, given how quickly Jones finished Gane in 2023. — Hale
9. Merab Dvalishvili, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: 14
MMA record: 21-5
Even with the December title fight loss to Petr Yan, Dvalishvili exceeded every expectation in 2025 — and was a popular pick for men’s fighter of the year. Dvalishvili defended his UFC title three times before surrendering it to Yan, and he blew up in popularity among the fan base and the UFC brass along the way. He’ll continue to be in high demand in 2026. — Okamoto
8. Alex Pereira, UFC men’s light heavyweight champion
2025 rank: 2
MMA record: 13-3
This year could go many ways for Pereira. That’s what happens when a fighter attains Pereira’s level of success and stardom. It’s not just the rest of the UFC light heavyweight top 10 that wants a shot at him. Pereira is a target of middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, and he himself is seeking out top-quality opponents, challenging former heavyweight titlist Jon Jones to a fight on the White House lawn. Pereira, 38, is putting the finishing touches on a shiny legacy. — Wagenheim
7. Valentina Shevchenko, UFC women’s flyweight champion
2025 rank: 13
MMA record: 26-4-1
Based on talent and dominance alone, Shevchenko should be ranked higher on this list. But said talent and dominance are the reasons her 2026 path is so unclear. She could take on the winner of Saturday’s bout between Natalia Silva and Rose Namajunas at UFC 324, but what other options are out there for the UFC women’s flyweight champion? There is rising talent at flyweight who would all be fresh matchups for Shevchenko, but after beating former strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the biggest women’s MMA fight of 2025, the up-and-comers will need to gain more steam to raise the level of intrigue for these matchups. — Waters
6. Kayla Harrison, UFC women’s bantamweight champion
2025 rank: 7
MMA record: 29-1
Harrison’s dominant championship win over Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June raised her profile. Unfortunately, neck surgery forced Harrison out of her anticipated showdown with Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 and benched her indefinitely. That leaves her probably competing once in 2026, but there is no other champion on the roster with more to gain from a title defense than Harrison. Should she eventually defeat Nunes, widely recognized as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time, Harrison would enter a bigger legacy conversation regarding her place among the greats. — Hale
5. Umar Nurmagomedov, UFC men’s bantamweight
2025 rank: 10
MMA record: 19-1
Nurmagomedov cracked the top 10 of this list in 2025, and although he fell short of championship expectations, his outlook is even better for 2026. He will start the year as a -175 favorite, according to DraftKings, over former two-time men’s flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 on Saturday, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in a title fight this year. In fact, it would be surprising to not see him in a title fight at some point this year. — Okamoto
4. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC men’s featherweight champion
2025 rank: 33
MMA record: 27-4
Welcome to the Volkanovski roller-coaster ride. He plummeted 24 spots in these rankings from No. 9 in 2024 to No. 33 a year ago because of consecutive knockout losses followed by 10 months of inactivity. He returned to action in April and regained the UFC featherweight title in what turned out to be his only fight of 2025. Now Volkanovski begins 2026 with a Jan. 31 title defense against Diego Lopes, the fighter he decisively beat for the belt nine months ago. That makes us bullish on Volk. — Wagenheim
1:05
Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis to become UFC middleweight champion
Khamzat Chimaev completely controls the fight against Dricus Du Plessis and becomes middleweight champion at UFC 319.
3. Khamzat Chimaev, UFC men’s middleweight champion
2025 rank: 4
MMA record: 15-0
Chimaev might be in the most unique position in all of MMA. After dismantling Dricus Du Plessis to claim the UFC middleweight championship, Chimaev already has his eye on a move to light heavyweight. With only five UFC fights at 185 pounds, nearly every fighter at the top of that division is a fresh matchup for him. Based on his body of work, Chimaev also could become a top threat for the light heavyweight title immediately. He built a reputation as one of MMA’s most active fighters early in his career, but Chimaev hasn’t competed nearly as often the past five years. Chimaev has noted that he won’t fight until after Ramadan in March, so the early signs don’t point to a Merab Dvalishvili-like 2026. But if he can maintain his unblemished record while taking on MMA’s biggest stars in high-stakes matchups, that’s a recipe for a big year. — Waters
1:16
Islam Makhachev wins welterweight title after dominating main event
Islam Makhachev becomes the new UFC welterweight champion after putting on a wrestling clinic.
2. Islam Makhachev, UFC men’s welterweight champion
2025 rank: 5
MMA record: 28-1
A change of weight class has helped Makhachev climb from No. 5 to No. 2 on the list. After staking his claim as the greatest lightweight in UFC history, Makhachev made the move to welterweight and was dominant in dethroning Jack Della Maddalena to become the UFC champion at 170 pounds. The win has opened several options for Makhachev as he looks to reign over a second weight class. The list of quality contenders at welterweight is plentiful. It’s likely that Makhachev fights only twice this year, but a fresh new batch of opponents will have his latest title run full of intrigue. — Hale
0:51
Ilia Topuria celebrates KO finish to win lightweight title
Ilia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira via knockout in the first round to win the UFC lightweight title.
1. Ilia Topuria, UFC men’s lightweight champion
2025 rank: 3
MMA record: 17-0
Topuria enters 2026 on sabbatical but plans to return between April and June. Despite his time off, ESPN projects him to have another big year, based on the Octagon magic he has produced the past two years. No one has more options than Topuria right now. He’s arguably the best fighter and best finisher in the world, in the sport’s deepest weight class, and there is a possibility he moves up again to welterweight. — Okamoto
