2026 in UFC

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2026 in UFC
Logo of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.svg
Information
First dateJanuary 13, 2025 (2025-01-13)
Last dateTBD
Events
Total eventsTBD
UFCTBD
TUF Finale eventsTBD
Fights
Total fightsTBD
Title fightsTBD
Chronology
2025 in UFC 2026 in UFC2027 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.

Contents

UFC in 2026

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 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]

Releases and retirements

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

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 NameNicknameDivisionFromDurationTested positive for / InfoByEligible to
fight again		Ref.Notes
Flag of Ireland.svg Conor McGregor NotoriousLightweightSeptember 20, 202418 monthsThree anti-doping whereabout failures on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024.CSADMarch 20, 2026 [14]
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Ramazan TemirovTemurlanFlyweightJuly 5, 20251 year Trimetazidine CSADJuly 5, 2026 [15]

The Ultimate Fighter

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

SeasonDivisionWinnerRunner-upRef

Title fights

Title fights in 2026
Weight classMethodRoundTimeEventNotes
Women's Bantamweight Kayla Harrison (c)vs. [16] Amanda Nunes UFC 324 [a]
Lightweight Justin Gaethje vs. [17] Paddy Pimblett UFC 324 [b]
Featherweight Alexander Volkanovski (c)vs. [18] Diego Lopes UFC 325 [c]
  1. ↑ For the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship.
  2. ↑ For the interim UFC Lightweight Championship.
  3. ↑ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.

Events list

Scheduled events

EventDateVenueCityCountryRef.
UFC White House Jun 14, 2026 White House Washington, D.C. United States [19]
UFC Fight Night 272 Mar 28, 2026 Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, Washington [20]
UFC Fight Night 271 Mar 21, 2026 The O2 Arena London, England United Kingdom [21]
UFC Fight Night 270 Mar 14, 2026 UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada United States [22]
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 Mar 7, 2026 T-Mobile Arena [23]
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Almabayev Feb 28, 2026 Arena CDMX Mexico City Mexico [24]
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez Feb 21, 2026 Toyota Center Houston, Texas United States [25]
UFC Fight Night 267 Feb 14, 2026 UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada [26]
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira Feb 7, 2026 [27]
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 Feb 1, 2026 Qudos Bank Arena Sydney Australia [28]
UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Jan 24, 2026 T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada United States [29]

Past events

#EventDateVenueCityCountryAtten.Ref.Fight of the NightPerformance of the NightBonusRef.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Johnson et al v. Zuffa, LLC dba Ultimate Fighting Championship et al, No. 2:2021cv01189 - Document 221 (D. Nev. 2025)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  2. ↑ "Cirkunovs v. Zuffa LLC et al, No. 2:2025cv00914 - Document 17 (D. Nev. 2025)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  3. ↑ "UFC sued by ex-fighter in lawsuit that could change everything". MMA Knockout On SI. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  4. ↑ "Davis v. Zuffa, LLC et al". Justia Dockets & Filings. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  5. ↑ read, Mark Anderson·2 min (2025-06-02). "Former UFC fighters file lawsuits, alleging the MMA promotion restricts their earning potential". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Two former UFC fighters file new antitrust lawsuits against promotion". CBSSports.com. 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  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.
  8. ↑ "Dana White Promises 4 "Big Events" On CBS Per Year Under UFC's New Paramount Deal". 2025-08-11. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  9. ↑ Shakiel Mahjouri (2025-08-29). "UFC CEO Dana White confirms event at White House is on after meeting with Trump administration". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  10. ↑ Ryan Morik (2025-09-05). "UFC White House plans revealed, including weigh-ins at Lincoln Memorial: report". foxnews.com. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
  11. ↑ Damon Martin (2025-07-04). "President Trump reveals plans to hold a UFC event at the White House in 2026". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  12. ↑ Jack Baer (2025-08-31). "UFC CEO Dana White says White House card is officially happening after meeting with Trump administration". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  13. ↑ Staff (2025-10-06). "President Trump reveals UFC White House event will happen on his 80th birthday". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  14. ↑ Nolan King (2025-10-07). "UFC suspends Conor McGregor for 18 months citing anti-doping whereabouts failure". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  15. ↑ Matthew Wells (2025-10-01). "UFC flyweight Ramazan Temirov suspended one year for banned substance". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  16. ↑ Matthew Wells and Nolan King (2025-11-27). "Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes title bout set for UFC 324 co-main". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  17. ↑ Matthew Wells and Nolan King (2025-11-27). "Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett headlines UFC 324 for interim title". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  18. ↑ Mike Bohn (2025-11-27). "Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 headlines UFC 325 in Sydney". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  19. ↑ Staff (2025-10-06). "President Trump reveals UFC White House event will happen on his 80th birthday". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  20. ↑ Jed Meshew (2025-12-06). "UFC unveils full event schedule for first quarter of 2026". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  21. ↑ Alexander K. Lee (2025-12-06). "UFC London return announced for March". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  22. ↑ Ross Cole (2025-12-06). "UFC Announces Full Event Schedule For 1st Quarter 2026". mmainsight.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  23. ↑ Mike Bohn (2025-12-06). "Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira BMF title rematch set for UFC 326". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  24. ↑ Drew Beaupre (2025-12-02). "2 banger fights reportedly set for UFC's return to Mexico in 2026". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  25. ↑ Jed Meshew (2025-12-06). "UFC unveils full event schedule for first quarter of 2026". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  26. ↑ Nolan King (2025-12-05). "UFC announces 2026 schedule for first quarter". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  27. ↑ Anna Fedorova (2025-12-03). "Uran Satybaldiev has received another opponent in the UFC". open.kg. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  28. ↑ Mike Bohn (2025-11-27). "Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 headlines UFC 325 in Sydney". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  29. ↑ Adam Guillen Jr. (2025-11-18). "Report: Dana White & Co. book first fight under Paramount deal for 2026, adds electric showdown to UFC 324 fight card". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
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