The UFC roster is deeper with talent at the highest than ever before. ClutchPoints’ pound-for-pound rankings are suffering from not only champions, but fighters who deserve a title shot within the near future. Even fighters outside of the highest 20 rankings are nearing title contention.
There are quite a few recent champions deserving of a rematch, multiple undefeated fighters who’ve yet to vie for the belt, and perennial contenders who need a likelihood to hoist gold. Not a single men’s champion has successfully defended their belt of their respective weight class thus far. Plus, fans have really appreciated champions equivalent to Alex Pereira and Merab Dvalishvili being super energetic in recent times.
The hope is that 2026 can have plenty of great championship bouts, but who’re the highest three fighters in each weight class deserving of a title shot?
Flyweight
Champion: Joshua Van
Top three contenders: Alexandre Pantoja, Tatsuro Taira, Brandon Royval
Joshua Van is the second-youngest UFC champion in history, only trailing UFC GOAT Jon Jones in that regard. Nonetheless, he won the Flyweight Championship in lower than ideal fashion. At UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja broke his shoulder just 26 seconds into the primary round.
Prior to that, he was a dominant champion who was chasing Demetrious Johnson as the perfect flyweight ever. Pantoja’s run shouldn’t have ended the best way that it did, so he ought to be given an instantaneous rematch upon his return. Nonetheless. Dana White thinks that could also be a while away, so Tatsuro Taira should fight Van next if Pantoja is not able to go in time. Van could make a fast turnaround after his title fight went by so quickly.
Tatsuro is 18-1, together with his only loss coming against Brandon Royval. Royval must be in line for a title fight, not just for that reason, but because his previous matchup against Van was one in all the best fights in UFC history. The 2 combined for 419 significant strikes, the most ever in a three-round bout. Fans like it when the haymakers are flying, and Van and Royval would definitely placed on one other entertaining showcase. The case against Royval is that he just lost to Manel Kape.
Bantamweight
Champion: Petr Yan
Top three contenders: Merab Dvalishvili, Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley/Song Yadong
Petr Yan’s victory over Merab Dvalishvili was one of the crucial shocking UFC outcomes of the yr. Although Dvalishvili finally looked human, he has done enough to warrant an instantaneous title rematch. Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 would settle a trilogy and create clarity on who the best bantamweights ever are.
Umar Nurmagomedov also deserves a title shot. Like the remainder of his family and training partners, he doesn’t do much losing. Nurmagomedov bounced back from the lone lack of his profession by ending Mario Bautista’s eight-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov was hurt early when he lost to Dvalishvili, so it will be nice to see him fully equipped in a title fight.
One other fight that might be on the table is Sean O’Malley vs. Yan, as O’Malley previously beat Yan in controversial fashion. The UFC views O’Malley as one in all their stars. He has an unforgettable look and an entertaining fighting style that utilizes unique strikes and impressive knockout power. Plainly he doesn’t have what it takes to beat Dvalishvili, however the UFC would likely be completely satisfied to place him up against Yan again. O’Malley would, after all, must beat Song Yadong of their upcoming fight to warrant a title shot, though, as there isn’t a way that they might justify giving him one other shot on the belt after three straight losses.
Featherweight
Champion: Alexander Volkanovski
Top three contenders: Movsar Evloev, Lerone Murphy, Diego Lopes
Many thought Alexander Volkanovski’s profession can be nearing an in depth when he lost to Ilia Topuria, but Topuria’s departure to the lightweight division allowed the best featherweight ever to recapture his belt, and now he has a complete recent solid of contenders to enhance his legacy against.
Diego Lopes is the following fighter that Volkanovski is taking over, but it surely seems a little bit bit early for a rematch after Volkanovski bested Lopes at UFC 314. Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy must have been ahead of Lopes in line. Evloev is 19-0, and it seems that a perceived boring fighting style is getting used against him.
That’s unfair, though, as the identical critique was used against Dvalishvili before he became an admired, dominant, and entertaining champion. Evloev is tied for probably the most wins with no loss within the UFC, and he deserves a likelihood. Murphy is a fellow unbeaten fighter at 17-0-1 who was also given the boring label, but he dispelled that concept with a highlight-worthy spinning back elbow against Aaron Pico. There’s enough talent at featherweight that the UFC must have given Volkanovski recent blood before booking a Lopes rematch.
Lightweight
Champion: Ilia Topuria
Top three contenders: Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, Max Holloway
Ilia Topuria is stepping away from mixed martial arts in the interim to cope with personal issues. Within the meantime, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will fight for the Interim Lightweight Championship, with the winner being next in line to tackle Topuria to unify the 155-pound titles.
Neither of those fighters must have been the highest alternative for an interim championship, though. That honor belongs to Arman Tsarukyan, but he stays in Dana White’s doghouse for pulling out of a previously scheduled title fight on account of injury. Pimblett is 7-0 contained in the UFC, so a title shot was going to return soon, but it surely is likely to be a little bit bit premature, and maybe he was fast-tracked due to his press conference rivalry with Topuria.
Gaethje has been the Interim Lightweight Champion before, but never the undisputed champion. He has proven to be really good, but not quite great, as he has losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and Max Holloway in three of his last seven bouts. Gaethje is at all times entertaining, but Tsarukyan and Pimblett must have been in front of him in line, as must have been Max Holloway.
Holloway landed a buzzer-beating knockout on Gaethje at UFC 300 in what was one in all the best knockouts in MMA history. Holloway has already lost to Topuria, but that was at 145 kilos. He’s the BMF belt holder, and fans would like to see his boxing expertise against an influence hitter like Topuria again.
Welterweight
Champion: Islam Makhachev
Top three contenders: Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales
There was a surplus of contenders at welterweight before Islam Makhachev, the pound-for-pound best fighter within the UFC, moved as much as 170 kilos and have become a two-division champion. That’s the reason welterweight is probably the most stacked weight class within the promotion, and it’s why Makhachev can establish himself as the most effective UFC fighters ever if he knocks off among the top dogs vying for his belt.
Makhachev bested Jack Della Maddalena to grow to be the Welterweight Champion. JDM had previously beaten Belal Muhammad to hoist the gold, and Muhammad’s championship reign got here after defeating Leon Edwards. None of those fighters are at the highest of the road to get a title shot as things stand because there’s just an excessive amount of talent at the highest of the division.
Shavkat Rakhmonov was previously ranked as probably the most deserving fighter in all the UFC to get his first title shot. The 19-0 fighter has finished 18 of his opponents, and he’s arguably the perfect undefeated fighter within the UFC besides Topuria. His versatile skill set could give Makhachav a run for his money, but unfortunately, a once guaranteed title shot can have to attend because Rakhmonov didn’t fight in 2025 while nursing injuries.
His absence allowed Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales to step up. Morales is undefeated at 18-0 in his own right, together with his most up-to-date victory coming over Sean Brady, a premier grappler who likely would have fought Makhachev if he’d won that bout against Morales. Machado Garry only has one loss on his record, and it happened to return against Rakhmonov. Nonetheless, no person has threatened Rakhmonov as much as Garry did, and he has really impressed in his two wins since then.
Middleweight
Champion: Khamzat Chimaev
Top three contenders: Nassourdine Imavov, Fluffy Hernandez, Dricus du Plessis
Fluffy Hernandez was expected to tackle Reinier de Ridder in a title eliminator fight of sorts. Hernandez had to drag out on account of injury, but his absence led to a rare situation where an absence of availability can have actually helped him out. De Ridder had a nasty performance against Brendan Allen that sent him stumbling down the middleweight rankings. Hernandez is the most effective takedown artists within the UFC, and a title shot might be across the corner because it will make for a fun stylistic matchup against Khamzat Chimaev.
The present Middleweight Champion takes down his opponents with ruthless aggression in his own right. Hernandez shouldn’t get a title shot before Nassourdine Imavov, who earned a shot at Chimaev when he bested Caio Borralho. Imavov is not the wrestling expert that Chimaev or Hernandez are, which puts him in danger, but his elite striking might be enough to knock Chimaev out with one punch.
Former Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis also still has potential. Before taking over Chimaev, his unorthodox style was a puzzle that no person was capable of determine. Nonetheless, he was dominated in one of the crucial one-sided championship bouts ever when he lost his belt to Chimaev. With the right adjustments, mainly significantly improving his takedown defense, du Plessis could give Chimaev a rather more competitive fight.
Light heavyweight
Champion: Alex Pereira
Top three contenders: Carlos Ulberg, Magomed Ankalaev, Jiri Prochazka
Alex Pereira had an incredibly productive championship run by which he knocked out his first 4 opponents in Light Heavyweight Championship bouts. He then lost to Magomed Ankalaev, and lots of thought the magic was over. Pereira won the rematch, though, and while Ankalaev deserves a trilogy match, the UFC may not want to provide that to him any time soon.
Jiri Prochazka is an entertaining fighter who’s ranked because the primary contender, but he has already lost to Pereira twice. Those aspects likely mean that Carlos Ulberg shall be the following to tackle Poatan. Ulberg has won each of his last nine fights, including most recently against Dominick Reyes. Reyes perhaps got here closer to defeating Jon Jones, the best light heavyweight ever, than anybody in history, in order that was a giant resume booster for Ulberg.
Heavyweight
Champion: Tom Aspinall
Top three contenders: Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, Waldo Cortes Acosta
Tom Aspinall has the potential to be the best heavyweight ever on account of his incredible physical traits. Nonetheless, he was losing to Ciryl Gane before a watch poke resulted in a premature no-contest ending. The anticlimactic finish will probably end in those two squaring off within the Octagon again.
Alexander Volkov had previously lost to Gane in a fight that many thought he’d won. After the robbery, Dana White told Volkov that he’d make things right. Making things right may are available the shape of a title shot, especially since Volkov has since beaten Jailton Almeida.
Waldo Cortes Acosta is the up-and-comer within the heavyweight division. He has won seven of his last eight fights, the last two of which got here in knockout fashion. Cortes Acosta is taking over Derrick Lewis, the most effective knockout artists in UFC history, at UFC 324. If he comes out of that with a win, he could jump the road and grow to be the primary contender.
Women’s strawweight
Champion: Mackenzie Dern
Top three contenders: Zhang Weili, Tatiana Suarez, Alexia Thainara
The ladies’s strawweight division is the thinnest in the entire UFC, especially since Zhang Weili vacated her belt to contend for double champion status at flyweight. Weili was dominant at 115 kilos, but she was outmatched at 125 kilos, and the disappointing loss may force her to return back right down to strawweight to tackle the brand new champion, Mackenzie Dern.
Tatiana Suarez only has one loss to her name, and it got here against Weili. If Weili doesn’t come back right down to the division, then Suarez could get one other title shot. Alexia Thainara is barely ranked fifteenth within the UFC’s strawweight rankings, but she is 13-1 and unbeaten within the UFC, so she might be closer to a title shot in a weak division than one would assume.
Women’s flyweight
Champion: Valentina Shevchenko
Top three contenders: Natalia Silva, Rose Namajunas, Maycee Barber
Natalia Silva and Rose Namajunas are fighting at UFC 324, and the winner will likely be the following to tackle Valentina Shevchenko, the Women’s Flyweight Champion. Shevchenko has 11 title wins to her name. Silva is 7-0 within the UFC, and Namajunas was a two-time champion at strawweight.
Maycee Barber is one in all the more famous women’s mixed martial artists, and she or he has won each of her last seven fights. She has pulled out of fights far too often, which is probably going the one thing that has prevented her from receiving a title shot.
Women’s bantamweight
Champion: Kayla Harrison
Top three contenders: Amanda Nunes, Norma Dumont, Valentina Shevchenko
Kayla Harrison, a former Olympic gold medalist, is the face of ladies’s MMA without delay. Her first title defense shall be against the perfect female fighter in UFC history, Amanda Nunes. Nunes won 14 of her last 15 fights before retiring, but she is putting the gloves back on for this super fight.
Norma Dumont has won six straight fights, so she is a top contender as well. While it hasn’t been rumored as a possibility, Shevchenko has done enough to go for double champion status if she so desired to.