play2:00Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison face off after Harrison wins beltKayla Harrison beats Julianna Peña and calls out Amanda Nunes, who declares in the Octagon she’s coming back.
play1:03Payton Talbott finishes opponent in lightning-quick 19 secondsPayton Talbott improves his undefeated record to 9-0 with a quick finish over Yanis Ghemmouri.
play0:54Kevin Vallejos’ spinning backfist lands him a KO victoryKevin Vallejos lands a massive spinning backfist on Giga Chikadze, earning him a knockout victory.
play1:11Max Holloway wins electrifying fight in Dustin Poirier’s final boutMax Holloway wins by unanimous decision over Dustin Poirier in the final fight of Poirier’s career.
play0:55Ateba Gautier finishes Tre’ston Vines in the first roundAteba Gautier uses elbows that drop Tre’ston Vines, then Gautier hits him with two punches to end the fight.
play1:05Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis to become UFC middleweight championKhamzat Chimaev completely controls the fight against Dricus Du Plessis and becomes middleweight champion at UFC 319.
Brett OkamotoJan 19, 2026, 08:00 AM ETCloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Follow on X
Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison face off after Harrison wins beltKayla Harrison beats Julianna Peña and calls out Amanda Nunes, who declares in the Octagon she’s coming back.
Kayla Harrison beats Julianna Peña and calls out Amanda Nunes, who declares in the Octagon she’s coming back.
Payton Talbott finishes opponent in lightning-quick 19 secondsPayton Talbott improves his undefeated record to 9-0 with a quick finish over Yanis Ghemmouri.
Kevin Vallejos’ spinning backfist lands him a KO victoryKevin Vallejos lands a massive spinning backfist on Giga Chikadze, earning him a knockout victory.
Max Holloway wins electrifying fight in Dustin Poirier’s final boutMax Holloway wins by unanimous decision over Dustin Poirier in the final fight of Poirier’s career.
Ateba Gautier finishes Tre’ston Vines in the first roundAteba Gautier uses elbows that drop Tre’ston Vines, then Gautier hits him with two punches to end the fight.
Ateba Gautier uses elbows that drop Tre’ston Vines, then Gautier hits him with two punches to end the fight.
Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis to become UFC middleweight championKhamzat Chimaev completely controls the fight against Dricus Du Plessis and becomes middleweight champion at UFC 319.
Khamzat Chimaev completely controls the fight against Dricus Du Plessis and becomes middleweight champion at UFC 319.
MMA can be an unpredictable sport, but it’s easy to fall into a status quo mindset when you watch the best of the best. After a UFC champion looks dominant in a fight, we assume they will be as dominant in the next one. We have an idea of how the upcoming year might unfold, even though history reminds us that we get it wrong all the time.
With that in mind, here are a few fighters who could emerge as agents of chaos. These are not meant to be championship predictions or a list of the best fighters in each weight class. Rather, these are fighters uniquely positioned and talented enough to greatly alter the landscape of each division in 2026.
Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison face off after Harrison wins belt
Payton Talbott finishes opponent in lightning-quick 19 seconds
Payton Talbott improves his undefeated record to 9-0 with a quick finish over Yanis Ghemmouri.
Kevin Vallejos’ spinning backfist lands him a KO victory
Kevin Vallejos lands a massive spinning backfist on Giga Chikadze, earning him a knockout victory.
Max Holloway wins electrifying fight in Dustin Poirier’s final bout
Max Holloway wins by unanimous decision over Dustin Poirier in the final fight of Poirier’s career.
Ateba Gautier finishes Tre’ston Vines in the first round
Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis to become UFC middleweight champion
Nunes, of course, was scheduled to return to the UFC on Saturday after a two-year retirement, before a neck injury to her opponent, women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, derailed one of the biggest women’s MMA fights of all time. It was a major blow to the division, because — with all due respect to former champions Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington — until Harrison vs. Nunes is settled, their names are the only ones on anyone’s radar. How Nunes eventually looks after years away from competition will go a long way to determining the interest of the 135-pound landscape. Without her, it’s a stagnant weight class. Nunes says she is rejuvenated and planning for multiple appearances in 2026.
News of Horiguchi re-signing with the UFC last year after nearly a decade in other promotions flew under the radar. Horiguchi enjoyed plenty of success after departing the UFC in 2016, but it’s impossible not to wonder what might have happened had he remained in the UFC’s flyweight division. At 35 years old, he’s still poised to shake up the division. Some claimed Horiguchi was the best flyweight in the world, even when he wasn’t competing in the UFC. Imagine the matchups that would be available if Horiguchi were to win a title this year. Nearly every opponent among the UFC’s top 10 flyweights would be a fresh adversary for him.
Talbott had one of the UFC’s biggest breakouts in 2025 and was named ESPN’s most improved fighter. He’ll have every opportunity to keep it going in 2026. The UFC is behind him, both in marketing and matchmaking. He has a serious “it” factor in personality and in-cage persona. Last year’s improvements also show he’s in this for real. This is a 27-year-old contender who gets appreciably better with every performance. The odds aren’t favorable for Talbott to enter title contention immediately, but this sport moves fast. Would it really be surprising to see Talbott skyrocket in fame and ranking this year? No, it would not.
If you want to impress the casual MMA fans in your life, start 2026 on the Vallejos bandwagon and watch it fill up as the year progresses. The 24-year-old Argentinian is making a name for himself after knocking out Giga Chikadze in the final UFC event of last year. He’s riding a lot of momentum, and this guy doesn’t just win, he wins loud. He has an opportunity to be the 2026 version of Joshua Van, the young, relatively unknown talent who skyrocketed the rankings last year thanks to activity and style. Vallejos is undefeated in three UFC fights so far, and if he starts knocking out some of the old guard of the division this year, he’ll break the top 5 real quick.
Holloway is an unconventional pick for this stacked division, but let me explain. Going into 2026, this weight class, deep as it is, seems relatively laid out for the year. An interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will headline the first fight card of the year on Saturday. A unified title fight between the winner and Ilia Topuria should follow. The undisputed champion could then make his first defense at the end of the year (presumably against ESPN’s second-ranked lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan). Who could throw a wrench in any of this? Max Holloway. No one really expects Holloway to break into these title conversations right now, but quietly, he’s right there. On top of that, he has the BMF title. He has a history with Gaethje and Topuria and Tsarukyan has already called for a fight against him. Holloway is starting his year with a BMF title fight against one of the most popular fighters in the sport, Charles Oliveira, in March. This could shape up into an interesting year for the former featherweight champ and if he runs the table, this division will look much different than fans expect it to in 2026.
Chimaev told ESPN recently he only intends to defend his middleweight belt once, before moving up to 205 pounds. Regardless of the exact number of appearances he has left at 185 pounds, it’s safe to say his time there is limited. Whenever he moves up, he will immediately be the most intriguing storyline of the light heavyweight division. Chimaev’s inability to stay active is well-documented, but when he is fighting, he is one of the biggest stars this sport has. If he goes to light heavyweight in 2026, his impact will be felt immediately.
CloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Follow on X