2026 in UFC

2026 in UFC
A poster or logo for 2026 in UFC.
Information
First dateJanuary 24, 2026 (2026-01-24)
Last dateTBD
Events
Total eventsTBD
UFCTBD
TUF Finale eventsTBD
Fights
Total fightsTBD
Title fightsTBD
Chronology
2025 in UFC 2026 in UFC 2027 in UFC

The year 2026 is the 34th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.

UFC in 2026

Main article: Ultimate Fighting Championship

Class action: anti-trust lawsuits

Johnson v. Zuffa

Based on court filings from late July 2025, the Johnson v. Zuffa antitrust lawsuit, originally filed in 2021, is proceeding, and status conference for the case is scheduled for late August 2025.[1]

Cirkunovs v. Zuffa and Davis v. Zuffa

In May 2025, two antitrust lawsuits were filed against the UFC. One, led by former fighter Misha Cirkunov, specifically challenges the enforceability of arbitration clauses and class action waivers in UFC contracts.[2][3] The other lawsuit, filed by former fighter Phil Davis, alleges that the UFC's anticompetitive practices also negatively impacted the ability of non-UFC fighters to secure fair wages.[4][5][6]

Paramount and CBS partnership

On August 11, 2025, the UFC announced a seven-year media rights agreement with Paramount Skydance Corporation worth $7.7 billion. Paramount+ will exclusively stream all events for seven years, starting in 2026. Some numbered events will also air on CBS. The agreement will allow the UFC to move away from pay-per-view as events will stream on Paramount+ at no additional cost. All 13 of the UFC's flagship events and 30 Fight Nights a year will be streamed on the Paramount+ service.[7] UFC CEO and President Dana White announced the UFC would produce four big events per year on CBS, and that the UFC's planned card for the White House on June 14th, 2026 would be one of those events.[8]

White House event

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the UFC plans to hold a historic mixed martial arts event on the grounds of the White House in June 2026, marking the first professional sporting event ever staged at the presidential residence.[9][10]

The event was first announced by US President Donald Trump on July 3, 2025, during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds:[11] On August 29, 2025, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed via social media that plans for the event had been finalized, stating, "We had the meeting at the White House... The White House fight is on."[12]

On October 6, 2025, President Trump announced that the event would take place on June 14, 2026, coinciding with his 80th birthday.[13]

Post‑Fight bonus increases

Beginning in January 2026, starting with UFC 324, the UFC increased its post‑fight bonus structure, raising Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night awards from $50,000 to $100,000, and introducing additional $25,000 bonuses for any knockout or submission not selected among the standard four post‑fight awards.[14]

Releases and retirements

These fighters have either been released from their UFC contracts, announced their retirement, or joined other promotions:

  • Aaron Tau - Released in February - Flyweight[15]
  • Adam Fugitt - Released in February - Welterweight[16]
  • Alex Morono - Released in February - Welterweight[17]
  • Darrius Flowers - Released in January - Welterweight[18]
  • Jailton Almeida - Released in February - Heavyweight[19]
  • Javid Basharat - Contract Expired in February - Bantamweight[20]
  • Mohammad Yahya - Released in January - Featherweight[21]
  • Mohammed Usman - Released in February - Heavyweight[16]
  • Lucas Almeida - Released in February - Featherweight[22]
  • Patchy Mix - Signed with Rizin - Bantamweight[23]
  • Rafael Cerqueira - Released in February - Light Heavyweight[24]
  • Tecia Pennington - Retired in January - Women's Strawweight[25]

Debut UFC fighters

The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2026:

Suspended fighters

The list below is based on fighters suspended either by (1) United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) or World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for violation of taking prohibited substances or non-analytical incidents, (2) by local commissions on misconduct during the fights or at event venues, or (3) by the UFC for reasons also stated below.

ISO Name Nickname Division From Duration Tested positive for / Info By Eligible to
fight again 		Ref. Notes
Republic of Ireland Conor McGregor Notorious Lightweight September 20, 2024 18 months Three anti-doping whereabout failures on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. CSAD March 20, 2026 [31]
Uzbekistan Ramazan Temirov Temurlan Flyweight July 5, 2025 1 year Trimetazidine CSAD July 5, 2026 [32]
Nigeria Mohammed Usman The Motor Heavyweight October 9, 2025 30 months Testosterone and BPC-157 CSAD April 9, 2028 [33] Removed from UFC Roster February 12, 2026[34]
Brazil Iasmin Lucindo Women's Strawweight September 24, 2025 9 months Mesterolone CSAD June 24, 2026 [35]

The Ultimate Fighter

The following The Ultimate Fighter season is scheduled for broadcast in 2026:

Season Division Winner Runner-up Ref

Title fights

Title fights in 2026
Weight class Method Round Time Event Notes
Lightweight Justin Gaethje def.[36] Paddy Pimblett Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 49–46, 49–46) 5 5:00 UFC 324 [a]
Featherweight Alexander Volkanovski (c) def.[37] Diego Lopes Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 50–45) 5 5:00 UFC 325 [b]
Flyweight Joshua Van (c) vs.[38] Tatsuro Taira UFC 327 [c]
  1. ^ For the interim UFC Lightweight Championship.
  2. ^ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.
  3. ^ For the UFC Flyweight Championship.

Events list

Main article: List of UFC events

Scheduled events

Event Date Venue City Country Ref.
UFC Fight Night 277 Aug 29, 2026 Shanghai Indoor Stadium Shanghai China [39]
UFC White House Jun 14, 2026 White House Washington, D.C. United States [40]
UFC Fight Night 276 May 30, 2026 Galaxy Arena Macau, SAR China [41]
UFC Fight Night 275 May 3, 2026 RAC Arena Perth Australia [42]
UFC Fight Night 274 Apr 25, 2026 TBA TBA TBA [43]
UFC Fight Night 273 Apr 18, 2026 TD Place Arena Ottawa, Ontario Canada [44]
UFC 327 Apr 11, 2026 Kaseya Center Miami, Florida United States [45]
UFC Fight Night 272 Apr 4, 2026 Meta Apex Las Vegas, Nevada [46]
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer Mar 28, 2026 Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, Washington [47]
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy Mar 21, 2026 The O2 Arena London, England United Kingdom [48]
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos Mar 14, 2026 Meta Apex Las Vegas, Nevada United States [49]
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 Mar 7, 2026 T-Mobile Arena [50]
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh Feb 28, 2026 Arena CDMX Mexico City Mexico [51]
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez Feb 21, 2026 Toyota Center Houston, Texas United States [52]

Past events

# Event Date Venue City Country Atten. Ref. Fight of the Night Performance of the Night Bonus Ref.
761 UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira Feb 7, 2026 Meta Apex Las Vegas, Nevada United States N/a [53] Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Marc-André Barriault Mario Bautista Jakub Wikłacz $100,000 [54]
760 UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 Feb 1, 2026 Qudos Bank Arena Sydney Australia 18,102 [55] Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes Maurício Ruffy Quillan Salkilld $100,000 [56]
759 UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Jan 24, 2026 T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada United States 19,481 [57] Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett Josh Hokit Ty Miller $100,000 [58]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Cirkunovs v. Zuffa LLC et al, No. 2:2025cv00914 - Document 17 (D. Nev. 2025)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
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  4. ^ "Davis v. Zuffa, LLC et al". Justia Dockets & Filings. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  5. ^ Anderson, Mark (2025-06-02). "Former UFC fighters file lawsuits, alleging the MMA promotion restricts their earning potential". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
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  7. ^ Sweney, Mark (2025-08-11). "Paramount pays $7.7bn for exclusive US rights deal with UFC". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
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