As another year of MMA comes to a close, the exciting MMA fights of 2026 will soon fill arenas around the world with screaming fans eagerly awaiting an exciting fight or two. After the holidays are over in a few weeks, the wait for the exciting MMA fights of 2026 will be a little longer.
Following the closure of the UFC Apex facility on December 14, MMA’s top promotion, the UFC, began a six-week break between shows. This is the longest gap between cards the UFC has had since the organization existed forced out of action in early spring of 2020 due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletic competitions.
All told, it was a 55-day moratorium before the UFC returned to action inside an empty VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville for a rescheduled UFC 249. While there is no pandemic to cause this particular hiatus, there is a saying we should keep in mind here: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
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Looking at the exciting MMA fights of 2026
It’s in that spirit that we’re spending a few minutes during major MMA’s ongoing holiday break to take a look at the exciting MMA fights that will follow once the 2026 event schedule kicks off in a few short weeks. As has become common with these types of pieces, some basic rules will be discussed before we continue here on this day:
This is not a countdown piece. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, we will not go in descending order.
Second, this piece will not be localized for one specific promotion. Organizations outside the UFC can and will also be eligible here. With that, let’s start our look at the exciting MMA fights of 2026.
Exciting MMA Fights of 2026: UFC Interim Lightweight Championship: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett: UFC 324 (January 24)
According to a popular song lyric, “Let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start.” On January 24, Enterprise, NV will serve as the host city for the first flagship event and the first real event for the UFC in the new year.
That evening, UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena will be headlined by a championship fight doubleheader, including the evening’s main event for the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship between No. 4 contender Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and No. 5 contender Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC). announced on Thanksgiving Day during halftime The NFL today on CBS.
As Ilia Topuria’s hiatus from defending the permanent UFC Lightweight Championship continues, the promotion still has title stakes in the first of the exciting MMA fights of 2026. Gaethje has posted a 3-2 record over the course of his last five fights, including a unanimous decision win over Rafael Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) last March.
However, Paddy Pimblett is a difficult customer in the store. Since joining the UFC’s active roster in the summer of 2021, “The Baddy” has yet to be defeated inside the legendary Octagon, going 7-0.
Last time out, he scored a third-round knockout victory against Michael Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC). Pimblett has quickly risen through the ranks and is now 25 minutes of action or less to win a title in one of the most exciting MMA fights of 2026.
Exciting MMA Fights of 2026: UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes: UFC 324 (January 24)
We continue our look at exciting MMA fights of 2026 by looking at the first half of the UFC 324 Championship doubleheader. The evening’s co-main event of the first flagship event of 2026 takes place at women’s bantamweight.
Incumbent champion Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) makes her first title defense against the returning Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) in the co-headliner. Harrison and Nunes have a history together.
The two participants in the upcoming fight for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship were former teammates at American Top Team until the former left the Florida facility in 2022. This makes one of the exciting MMA fights of 2026 even juicier.
Harrison is undefeated at 3-0 since joining the UFC in 2024. Last June, she locked in a kimura to capture the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Juliana Pena (11-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at UFC 316.
She used her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan to invite Amanda Nunes to a match for her first defense. Nunes, who was in the crowd that night, quickly accepted. This is her first fight since retiring.
In June 2023, she defeated Irene Aldana (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) by unanimous decision. By the time UFC 324 rolls around, she will have been out of action for more than 31 months. Can she pull off a victory in one of the most exciting MMA fights of 2026?
Exciting MMA Fights of 2026: PFL Lightweight World Championship: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alfie Davis: PFL Dubai: (February 7)
We continue our look at exciting MMA fights of 2026 by moving the calendar forward to the day before Super Bowl LX. On February 7, Dubai will be the destination for the first card of the PFL’s New Year schedule.
PFL Dubai will feature the battle for the PFL Lightweight World Championship between current division titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov (20-0, 1 NC MMA, 2-0 PFL) and 2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament Champion Alfie Davis (20-5-1 MMA, 3-1 PFL). PFL Dubai will be the first PFL card in the promotion’s restructured format. As of 2026, the World Tournament format used in 2025 will not be held.
Nurmagomedov, who successfully transitioned from the late Bellator MMA after the PFL purchased Bellator in 2023, has yet to lose as a professional. with an October 2023 win at the historic Bellator 300 retroactively overturned to a no-contest after returning a positive drug test. Last October, he scored a unanimous decision victory against Paul Hughes (14-3 MMA, 2-2 PFL) after five rounds in a rematch of a January 25 fight.
If you include the Bellator and PFL fights, Usman Nurmagomedov is undefeated at 8-0 with one no-contest. Any time you have a great fighter on a card, his or her fight becomes exciting. Nurmagomedov’s first fight of 2026 will be one of the most exciting MMA fights of 2026.
Alfie Davis powered his way through last year’s PFL Lightweight World Tournament, capturing the 155-pound title with a unanimous decision against Gadzhi Rabadanov (26-5-2 MMA, 7-1 PFL). You couldn’t ask for a better five rounds or less action if you tried. It’s a champion versus a high stakes champion.
Exciting MMA Fights of 2026: PFL Middleweight World Championship: Costello van Steenis vs. Fabian Edwards, Part II: PFL Madrid (March 20)
While the second half of March will be dominated by the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament (also known by its alliterative title March Madness), the second day of the Round of 64 in the venerable hoops tournament will also feature one of the exciting MMA fights of 2026 inside the SmartCage. Madrid will host the fight for the PFL Middleweight World Championship on the day of the spring equinox.
The PFL Madrid main event will see current defending champion Costello van Steenis (17-3 MMA, 2-0 PFL) rematch against 2025 PFL middleweight tournament champion Fabian Edwards (16-4 MMA, 3-1 PFL) on a card that is also expected to feature the return of AJ McKee in a featherweight bout with Adam Borics. This is a rematch that has been more than five years in the making.
In September 2020, these two men met for the first time in Bellator at Bellator Milan. That evening, Van Steenis was victorious (split decision) after fifteen minutes of action. A lot has changed in the years since the original fight.
van Steenis has posted a 4-1 record in his last five fights and is currently on a three-fight winning streak. Last July at PFL Africa 1, he submitted Johnny Eblen (16-1 MMA, 2-1 PFL) with a back-naked choke with just seconds left on the first round clock to lock in the belt.
The March 20 fight serves as his first defense of the 185-pound title, but his opponent has revenge as the top priority on his list. Fabian Edwards will enter this early spring meeting with a 4-1 record over the past five matches.
Like Alfie Davis in the lightweight ranks, Edwards fought his way through the 2025 PFL World Tournament unscathed this past year at 185. During the final card of the tournament on August 21, he said connected after a main staircase to eliminate Dalton Rosta (11-2 MMA, 9-1 PFL) to secure the tournament belt.
A champion-versus-champion match will take place in Dubai on February 7. A month and a half later, one of the most exciting MMA fights of 2026 is being called such a tilt again. College basketball can take a seat on the bench that day.
Final thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this look at some of the exciting MMA fights of 2026. Which of these fights are you most looking forward to as the calendar turns to the new year? Let us know in the comments.
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