UFC opens 2026 with Gaethje vs Pimblett for the interim lightweight title — bettors may favor Gaethje for KO/TKO or striking prop markets, while Pimblett offers value as an underdog and in early-round upset/finish markets. The full 2026 slate — including Volkanovski’s return and a historic White House card — creates multiple futures and title-bet opportunities for punters.
UFC Gears Up for Monumental 2026 Season
The UFC heads into 2026 with a stacked early calendar and several high-profile showdowns. After a landmark 2025 that produced unforgettable moments and title changes, the promotion opens the year with an interim lightweight title fight and a global slate that includes major nights in Las Vegas, Sydney, London and Mexico City. Expect heavy betting interest on headline fights, props and futures as champions return and new contenders emerge.
Key Early Cards and Main Events
UFC 324 – January 24, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett – Interim UFC Lightweight Championship Sean O’Malley vs Song Yadong – Bantamweight Natalia Silva vs Rose Namajunas – Women’s Flyweight Arnold Allen vs Jean Silva – Featherweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Derrick Lewis – Heavyweight Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo – Bantamweight Ateba Gautier vs Andrey Pulyaev – Middleweight
UFC 325 – February 1, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs Diego Lopes 2 – UFC Featherweight Championship Dan Hooker vs Benoit Saint Denis – Lightweight Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy – Lightweight Tai Tuivasa vs Tallison Teixeira – Heavyweight Jonathan Micallef vs Oban Elliot – Welterweight Jimmy Crute vs Dustin Jacoby – Light Heavyweight
UFC Fight Night 266 – February 7, UFC Apex, Las Vegas
Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira – Bantamweight Amir Albazi vs Kyoji Horiguchi – Flyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk vs Marc-Andre Barriault – Middleweight Ryan Spann vs Rizvan Kuniev – Heavyweight Uran Satybaldiev vs Julius Walker – Light Heavyweight
UFC Fight Night 268 – February 21, Toyota Center, Houston
Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez – Middleweight Ode’ Osbourne vs Alibi Idiris – Flyweight Juliana Miller vs Carli Judice – Women’s Flyweight Michel Pereira vs Zachary Reese – Middleweight
UFC Fight Night 269 – February 28, Arena CDMX, Mexico City
Brandon Moreno vs Asu Almabayev – Flyweight Edgar Chairez vs Felipe Bunes – Flyweight Imanol Rodriguez vs Kevin Borjas – Flyweight Jose Medina vs Ryan Gandra – Middleweight
UFC 326 – March 7, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Max Holloway (c) vs Charles Oliveira 2 – Lightweight Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega – Lightweight Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder – Middleweight Gregory Rodrigues vs Brunno Ferreira – Middleweight Cody Garbrandt vs Xiao Long – Bantamweight
UFC Fight Night 270 – March 14, UFC Apex, Las Vegas
Beatriz Mesquita vs Montserrat Rendon – Women’s Bantamweight Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs Lone’er Kavanagh – Flyweight Brad Tavares vs Eryk Anders – Middleweight
UFC Fight Night 271 – March 21, The O2, London
Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan – Middleweight
UFC Fight Night 272 – March 28, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer – Middleweight Alexa Grasso vs Maycee Barber 2 – Women’s Flyweight
UFC White House – June 14, Washington
Card TBC — billed as a historic event with multiple championship-calibre bouts expected.
UFC Shanghai – August 29, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai
Card TBC
Recent Results and Momentum
The back half of 2025 produced significant title bouts and shock results that shape betting markets heading into 2026. Notable outcomes include:
UFC Vegas 112 – December 14
Manel Kape def. Brandon Royval, KO (punches) Kevin Vallejos def. Giga Chikadze, KO (spinning back fist) Cezary Oleksiejczuk def. Cesar Almeida, Decision
UFC 323 – December 6
Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili, Decision – new bantamweight champion Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja (c), TKO (arm injury) Tatsuro Taira def. Brandon Moreno, TKO
UFC Fight Night 265 – November 22, Doha
Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker, Submission Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad, Decision Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov, Submission
UFC 322 – November 15, Madison Square Garden
Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena, Decision – for welterweight title Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili, Decision – women’s flyweight Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards, KO
Other Late-2025 Cards
UFC Fight Night 264, 263, 321 and others delivered an array of KOs, submissions and decisions that reshuffled contender ranks and betting perspectives across weight classes.
What This Means for Bettors
Early 2026 provides clear wagering angles: headline striking-heavy fights such as Gaethje vs Pimblett invite KO/TKO and round-prop markets, while rematches and returning champions (Volkanovski, Holloway) shift futures and title-retention prices. Undercards stacked with heavyweight and bantamweight matchups will influence parlay and live-betting strategies. Punters should monitor weight, camp reports and styles — momentum from recent finishes makes prop markets especially lucrative.
Timeline and Takeaways
The first quarter of 2026 maps a busy, high-stakes run of events that sets the tone for titles and contender movement through the year. Expect heavy wagering on headline outcomes, as well as rising interest in futures tied to fighters returning from layoffs or moving weight classes. Stay alert to late-card trends: multiple upsets and finishes in late 2025 indicate volatility that can be leveraged for value bets and live opportunities.
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