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<\/a><\/p>\nWASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 14: Josh Hokit walks to the Octagon in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
Breakout fighter of the year: Josh Hokit<\/p>\n
At the start of 2026, Josh Hokit was an unranked UFC Heavyweight with just one fight inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n
That is very different now.<\/p>\n
Hokit kicked off his year at UFC 324<\/a> against Denzel Freeman, securing the first stoppage via flipping the bird.<\/p>\n Just kidding, Freeman was exhausted and could not continue, but still, it was an impressive win. It also introduced a much larger audience to Hokit\u2019s over-the-top, cornball characters and wild post-fight personality.<\/p>\n Hokit received a massive step up against Top 5-ranked Curtis Blaydes, and instead of getting exposed, he delivered one of the best fights of the year<\/a>. Hokit went toe-to-toe with the longtime Heavyweight contender for three hard rounds and walked away with a unanimous decision win.<\/p>\n That performance vaulted him into UFC Freedom 250, where he stopped Derrick Lewis for his third win of 2026 (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n Now, Hokit is ranked in the Top 5 and could be sitting on the doorstep of a Heavyweight title shot with one more big win.<\/p>\n He may be annoying. He may be over the top. And yes, the gimmicks can be a lot.<\/p>\n But he is walking the walk, he is a very good fighter, and through the first half of the year, he is the clear choice for MMAmania\u2019s \u201cBreakout Fighter of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are a few honorable mentions:<\/p>\n PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MAY 02: Quillan Salkilld of Australia reacts after a knockout victory against Beneil Dariush of Iran in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at RAC Arena on May 02, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Quillan Salkilld had a fantastic rookie year in 2025 that included a violent, viral head-kick knockout (watch it<\/a>). But this year, he has truly made the jump from fun prospect to one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the Lightweight division.<\/p>\n Salkilld started the year unranked, and that is no longer the case.<\/p>\n He kicked off 2026 by submitting Jamie Mullarkey in the first round, then punched his ticket into the rankings by starching longtime contender Beneil Dariush at UFC Perth (watch highlights<\/a>)<\/p>\n Now, Salkilld is set for his first UFC main event<\/a> against the always tough Mateusz Gamrot on Aug. 8.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 24: Joselyne Edwards of Panama poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at Meta APEX on April 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Panama\u2019s Joselyn Edwards signed with UFC in 2021 and had a somewhat forgettable, but successful, run for several years.<\/p>\n After snapping a two-fight losing streak in 2023, something clicked. Edwards started finishing opponents, building momentum and quietly becoming a real problem in the women\u2019s Bantamweight division.<\/p>\n She kicked off 2026 by submitting Nora Cornolle to jump into the No. 12 spot, then two months later took a short-notice fight against No. 3-ranked<\/a> Norma Dumont, who was riding a six-fight win streak and closing in on a title shot.<\/p>\n Edwards won via unanimous decision as a +200 underdog and now finds herself ranked No. 3 at Bantamweight<\/a>.<\/p>\n She might even be in line for the next title shot.<\/p>\n MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 28: Lone\u2019er Kavanagh of England reacts after a victory against Brandon Moreno of Mexico in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Arena CDMX on February 28, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Lone\u2019er Kavanagh entered 2026 coming off the first loss of his career, a knockout defeat to Charles Johnson that slowed down a lot of his hype (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n Then he completely changed the conversation.<\/p>\n On short notice, Kavanagh stepped in to face former two-time Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in enemy territory and dominated him, leaving Moreno a bloody mess<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, Kavanagh sits at No. 6 in the Flyweight rankings and has a massive fight lined up against No. 4-ranked former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 329.<\/p>\n One win over Royval, and Kavanagh could suddenly be right in the title mix.<\/p>\n HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 21: Uros Medic reacts after knocking out Geoff Neal in a welterweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center on February 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n Serbia\u2019s Uros Medic entered 2026 as an unranked Welterweight, but that changed in a hurry.<\/p>\n Medic got a huge opportunity against longtime ranked contender Geoff Neal in the co-main event of UFC Houston and made the most of it, sleeping Neal in just 69 seconds (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n