The first half of 2026 has largely produced fireworks for the UFC, including upset title wins, the impending return of superstar Conor McGregor and an unforgettable night in June on the South Lawn of the White House.
But as we set for the mid-summer turn into the second half, there remains a series of interesting questions that can only be answered inside the Octagon, surrounding key divisions, star champions and much more.
Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines entering the second half of 2026.
1. Is the end of heavyweight chaos finally upon us?
It appears to be that way (knock on wood) now that champion Tom Aspinall and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane appear to be on a collision course toward a rematch to unify titles later this year. And it couldn’t have come at a better time following three-plus years of abject mayhem in the title picture after Francis Ngannou vacated the title and left the promotion at the start of 2023. Yes, Jon Jones moved up in weight to become champion but his “title reign” consisted of a 20-month injury layoff and a largely unnecessary title defense against a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic who hadn’t fought in almost four years. What happened next was even crazier: Jones refused to fight interim titleholder Aspinall, retired, vacated the title and then asked to fight for it once again just four days later.
Aspinall, meanwhile, was elevated to full champion but saw his first title defense last November end via double eye poke against Gane and the need for surgery on both eyes. Aspinall’s new manager, boxing promoter and Dana White rival Eddie Hearn, also asked unsuccessfully for his new fighter’s outright release. But things are finally trending upward. Gane stopped Alex Pereira’s bid to become a three-division titleholder at the White House in June, UFC refused to allow Jones to return and the brash Josh Hokit emerged from obscurity to become an instant contender. And the winner of a likely Aspinall-Gane II rematch will finally give us one champion and (hopefully) zero controversy. It’s about time for combat sports’ glamour division.
2. Can anyone best the fighter-of-the-year campaign that Justin Gaethje has built?
In one of the more truly surprising and inspiring stories to come out of 2026, Gaethje went from being a 37-year-old action star one loss away from retirement to putting the capstone on his already Hall-of-Fame legacy by finally becoming an undisputed UFC champion. And, according to “The Highlight,” he’s not done yet when it comes to defending his title to close out the year. All Gaethje needed was a pair of high-profile upset wins while co-authoring two of the leading candidates for fight of the year. In January, he outslugged Paddy Pimblett over five rounds to claim the interim title before bludgeoning unbeaten Ilia Topuria in June at the White House to score a fourth-round TKO and turn the division upside down. It’s difficult, at this point, to imagine any fighter overtaking him in the fighter of the year race unless Gaethje were to lose badly in a third appearance. Gane has a shot, however, should he be able to package a stoppage win over Pereira with an undisputed title victory in a rematch with Aspinall. Sean Strickland, who upset Khamzat Chimaev in May to become a two-time middleweight champion, also has a shot at splashing the pot, as does flyweight king Joshua Van should he claim a second title defense. But it will undoubtedly take something spectacular given how unlikely Gaethje’s win over Topuria appeared to be heading into the fight.
3. The pursuit of finding Gaethje’s next opponent should also be interesting
Few divisions in UFC are as consistently stacked as lightweight, which makes the question of who Gaethje will face for his first title defense a difficult one to answer given the depth and star power in the top 10. While most fans would want No. 2 Arman Tsarukyan to finally get his shot after being forced to pull out just days ahead of a UFC 311 title shot in January 2025 due to a severe back injury, it doesn’t appear as if White, the UFC CEO and president, is ready to do so (given Tsarukykan’s unpredictable behavior). There’s also No. 3 Charles Oliveira, a former lightweight champion who submitted Gaethje in Round 1 of their 2022 title bout, who is fresh off a dominant win over Max Holloway. The result of two upcoming fights on July 11 at UFC 329 will likely play a key role in deciding, however. Holloway will rematch a returning Conor McGregor in the main event at welterweight while red-hot contender Benoit Saint-Denis will face Pimblett in the co-headliner. Talk about a potential abundance of riches for UFC matchmakers to sort out. Regardless of whomever emerges from the pack, the next lightweight title fight should be yet another banger.
4. The men’s flyweight division is absolutely on fire
Even though Joshua Van’s title win last December against Alexandre Pantoja came without much closure given that the fight ended after just 26 seconds due to an injury, the changing of the guard triggered an intriguing title race into the new year. Van, just 24, outslugged Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round TKO in May to defend the belt in one of the wildest fights of 2026. Top contender Manel Kape, meanwhile, made a strong case for a title shot by recording his fourth straight knockout against former title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi in their exciting June bout. The 36-year-old Pantoja appears to be ready for a possible rematch against Van, while newcomer Loner’er Kavanagh and submission ace Asu Almabayev recently recorded stoppage wins that demanded title consideration. The men’s 125-pound division has always been a showcase of speed and technique, going back to the days of Demetrious Johnson. But the division seemingly can’t help itself at the moment by creating one fun fight after another and a top 10 filled with possible threats to the crown.
5. It’s time for MMA referees to unify on policing fouls inside the Octagon
While this isn’t necessarily a new issue, it’s one that has dominated the MMA headlines in recent months. And it’s also not a UFC problem as much as it’s an issue that the state commissions, who appoint referees for UFC events, need to figure out quickly. Both fighters and fans alike are fed up with the constant warnings and lack of point deductions for fouls during key moments in fights, not to mention the timing of stoppages, Top referee Herb Dean also remains under fire following a series of scrutinized decisions, including the policing of Gane’s illegal strikes to the back of the head of Pereira in June at UFC Freedom 250 (which has led to a public tour of grievance by Pereira). One thing UFC can control is the gloves issued to fighters and White has gone public saying the promotion is looking into changing to a new model featuring a natural bend of the fingers to reduce the possibility of eye contact. But UFC athletes simply won’t have the incentive to make massive changes to their fighting styles until fouls are met with not just stern warnings but the following through of lost points for repeated violations. The NFL made major changes over the past two decades to how much contact is allowed on tackling, as a means to reduce concussions and to keep star offensive players in the lineup, and the players adjusted. Fighting is dangerous enough. And one could understand the want for officials to not become the story in a big fight and prevent a point deduction from dictating the winner on the scorecards. But you can’t have it both ways.
