The Best UFC Fights We Want to See in the Second Half of 2026

What’s Been Happening in UFC in 2026?

Imagine the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship — the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world) is like a toy box full of action figures. In the first half of 2026, someone finally opened the box and started playing with the coolest toys!

• Thank you, 2026! This has been the best six-month stretch of UFC events since 2021 — maybe even better.
• Two huge title fights headlined a card on the White House South Lawn:
  • Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane
• Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev finally had their grudge match (a fight people really wanted because they didn’t like each other).
• Carlos Ulberg won a championship on one good leg (the other was badly hurt!).
• Even events with boring main events felt exciting before they happened — and that counts for something.

The past few years felt quiet, but in 2026 the big numbered events kept delivering. It’s been fun to have so much to talk about!

Important Point: Six current UFC champions (including all three women’s champions) have NOT fought yet in 2026, and 81% of ESPN’s ranked fighters have no fight scheduled. That means the UFC is probably busy planning lots of matches right now.

Here are 10 bouts (fights) we’d love to see made for the rest of the year.

1. Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja or Manel Kape

Joshua Van is fun to watch against anyone, but two matchups are extra special:

• Van vs. Pantoja: Pantoja was the flyweight king (champion of the lightest weight class) for 2½ years. Van beat him in December, but Pantoja dislocated his elbow early, so the fight barely started. Van wants to prove he can beat a healthy Pantoja.
• Van vs. Kape: Van is a slick, high-volume boxer (throws lots of punches). Kape is maybe the hardest puncher at 125 pounds. Both are super confident.

If we could only pick one, we’d pick Van vs. Kape because it could be more entertaining.

2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev

Volkanovski is a champion. Evloev is 20-0 (never lost) with 10 UFC wins, but he’s never finished (knocked out or submitted) an opponent — he always wins by decision.

• The UFC gave Diego Lopes a rematch with Volkanovski less than a year after Lopes lost badly. That was a weird choice.
• Evloev earned a title shot but hasn’t gotten one yet.
• At 37, Volkanovski wants to beat the undefeated Evloev to grow his legacy.

We expect this fight in the fall.

3. Tatiana Suarez/Dern Situation and Zhang Weili

Mackenzie Dern is strawweight champion (115 pounds). But many say she won’t be seen as the best until Zhang Weili comes back.

• Zhang dominated strawweight for 3 years, then moved up and lost to Valentina Shevchenko.
• She’s expected to return to strawweight.
• Dern defends her title against Gillian Robertson at UFC 330 in August.

If Dern wins, everyone will ask: when will she fight Zhang? Hopefully before year-end.

4. Aaron Pico vs. Someone Like Silva

Aaron Pico was hyped as a superstar, then people gave up on him — twice! But in April he beat Patricio Pitbull (a former champ in another league) in his best performance ever.

• He looked calm and well-rounded (good at everything).
• He’s only had 2 UFC fights, so many options exist.
• Our favorite: fight Silva — proven, confident, dangerous. Maybe the most exciting fight in the division.

5. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Tsarukyan should fight for the lightweight title somehow. But the matchup we want most is Ruffy.

• Ruffy is confident and dangerous right now.
• Rankings-wise, fights with Gaethje, Topuria, Oliveira, Pimblett, or Holloway make more sense.
• But Ruffy is our favorite pick for fun.

(This probably won’t happen in 2026, but we love it!)

6. Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3

Both are in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings (best fighters regardless of weight).

• First fight (2023): Dvalishvili dominated, but was Yan hurt or distracted?
• Rematch (2024): Dvalishvili was gassed (tired) from 4 title fights in one year.
• Unanswered questions make this a perfect technical, competitive fight — maybe the best of the second half.

7. Michael Morales vs. Gabriel Bonfim (Welterweight)

The welterweight division (170 pounds) is stacked with talent:

• Islam Makhachev
• Ian Machado Garry
• Carlos Prates
• Sean Brady
• Michael Morales
• Jack Della Maddalena
• Gabriel Bonfim (just beat former champ Belal Muhammad)

If we could watch only one weight class for 10 years, it’s welterweight. Morales vs. Bonfim is the matchup we want most.

8. Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2

This is the most obvious fight on the list.

• Aspinall is healing from an eye injury; Gane won interim title over Pereira at the White House.
• The heavyweight division is a mess until champion vs. interim champion is sorted.
• This fight has high stakes, real dislike, and international appeal.

Important Point: This might be the most important fight in UFC heavyweight history because fans would be upset if it didn’t happen.

9. Women’s Bantamweight: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes

Women’s MMA stalled in 2026’s first half. But this fight could change everything.

• It’s bigger than all other women’s fights combined.
• The story is nearly a decade in the making.
• The UFC needs this the most.

10. Lightweight: Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett

With the right promotion (storytelling and press conferences), this could be the biggest UFC fight ever.

• Their personal beef (dislike) is complicated.
• Pimblett just won by submission in round one.
• This could beat even Conor McGregor’s comeback numbers.

Summary

The first half of 2026 gave us amazing UFC moments, but many champions haven’t fought yet. The second half could be even better with these 10 dream matches — from Van’s boxing showcase to Aspinall-Gane 2 saving the heavyweights, and Harrison-Nunes waking up women’s MMA. Fingers crossed the UFC makes them!

FAQ

What does “interim champion” mean?
It’s a temporary champion picked when the real champion can’t fight (like due to injury). Two champions at once cause confusion!

What is a “grudge match”?
A fight between two people who really don’t like each other outside the cage.

Why are some fights called “pound-for-pound”?
It means ranking fighters by skill no matter how much they weigh — like asking “who’s best overall?”

What is a weight class?
A group of fighters who weigh about the same, so big people don’t fight tiny people. Examples: strawweight (115 lb), heavyweight (no limit).