{"id":396338,"date":"2026-01-08T15:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/396338\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T15:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:23:13","slug":"predictions-who-will-be-the-11-ufc-champions-at-the-end-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/396338\/","title":{"rendered":"Predictions: Who will be the 11 UFC champions at the end of 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another year of MMA has come and gone, and once again, it\u2019s been made abundantly clear that we are all Jon Snow and know nothing<\/a>. In 2025, 10 of the 11 UFC weight classes saw a new person take the undisputed title, with only women\u2019s flyweight seeing no change whatsoever in champion, and one fighter regaining the title he lost in the same year. Even in a sport as unpredictable as MMA, that is pretty insane. None of our staff correctly predicted more than five champions in 2025<\/a>, and four weight classes we were all completely wrong about.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, we persist.<\/p>\n

2026 is now upon us, and it\u2019s time, once again, to peer into our crystal balls and take another crack at predicting who the UFC champions will be when 2027 rolls around.<\/p>\n

MMA Fighting staffers Guilherme Cruz, Blaine David, Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and Jos\u00e9 Youngs make our selections below.<\/p>\n

Join in the fun by letting us know your picks in the comments. Trust us: It\u2019s much, much more difficult than you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n

\"ABU<\/a><\/p>\n

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 25: Tom Aspinall of England prepares to face Ciryl Gane of France in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 321 event at Etihad Arena on October 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Tom Aspinall: Cruz, David, Heck, Martin, Youngs<\/p>\n

Alex Pereira: Lee, Meshew<\/p>\n

Entering 2025, the UFC heavyweight title picture was completely up in the air. Entering 2026, it remains that way, though for very different reasons.<\/p>\n

Last year, Tom Aspinall was finally promoted to undisputed champion after Jon Jones retired, but his first undisputed title defense became one of the debacles of the year when it ended after an illegal eye poke from Ciryl Gane. Now, Aspinall is having surgery on his eyes and has no set timetable for return, leaving the weight class in flux.<\/p>\n

Given the uncertainty, most of the staff have defaulted to Aspinall to retain the title, under the assumption that he will return this year. However, rumors abound that light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira may move up to fight Gane for an interim title, and if Aspinall cannot compete for a long time, perhaps he will vacate the belt? Intrigue awaits at heavyweight in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Alex Pereira of Brazil reacts to his win over Magomed Ankalaev of Russia in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Alex Pereira: Cruz, David, Martin<\/p>\n

Jiri Prochazka: Heck, Meshew, Youngs<\/p>\n

In 2025, the MMA Fighting staff was split on whether Pereira or Magomed Ankalaev would hold the light heavyweight title, and both ended up being correct. Ankalaev took the title from Pereira in March, but lost it back to him in October. Now, the question for \u201cPoatan\u201d is more about how long he intends to stick around 205.<\/p>\n

As a result, the staff is split on what 2025 holds for light heavyweight, with about half the crew believing Pereira moves up, leaving Jiri Prochazka to reclaim the belt, and half backing \u201cPoatan\u201d to hold onto his throne. And then there\u2019s the total wild card pick that 2025 will be the year Azamat Murzakanov etches his name in the history books.<\/p>\n

\"CHICAGO,<\/a><\/p>\n

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: Joe Rogan talks to Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates after his middleweight title bout victory in UFC 319 at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Khamzat Chimaev: Cruz, David, Lee, Martin, Youngs<\/p>\n

Dricus du Plessis: Meshew<\/p>\n

The favorite to win the title in 2025, Chimaev made good on that backing, and now is a runaway favorite to hold onto his belt in 2026. It\u2019s not hard to see why. For as talented as the middleweight division has gotten in recent years, Chimaev is the Prince Who Was Promised, and took the belt with one of the most dominant performances of 2025.<\/p>\n

Notably, nobody picked Chimaev\u2019s presumptive next opponent, Nassourdine Imavov, to hold the middleweight title. Instead, Mike Heck believes \u201cFluffy\u201d Hernandez is the man to upend Chimaev\u2019s title reign, while I believe former champion Dricus du Plessis will regain the crown \u2014 not by beating Chimaev, but by defeating whoever he fights for the vacant belt after Chimaev moves up to 205 before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia rides on the shoulders of Khabib Nurmagomedov and reacts to his win over Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Islam Makhachev: Cruz, David, Martin, Youngs<\/p>\n

Michael Morales: Heck, Lee<\/p>\n

Shavkat Rakhmonov: Meshew<\/p>\n

Only one staff member correctly predicted Islam Makhachev would be the welterweight champion last year (it was me), but a majority are going with that for 2026. Makhachev moved up to 170 pounds in November and looked like a natural welterweight, dominating Jack Della Maddalena to become the UFC\u2019s 11th two-division champion. Now, the biggest question is who will Makhachev fight next?<\/p>\n

Kamaru Usman, Michael Morales, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, and Carlos Prates all appear to be in the mix at 170 pounds, making it especially hard to predict what\u2019s going to happen. But while most see Makhachev retaining, Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee have been impressed by the rise of Michael Morales, and I am going with the longtime divisional boogeyman that everyone seems to have forgotten about.<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 28: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts to his win over Charles Oliveira of Brazil in the UFC lightweight championship bout during the UFC 317 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Ilia Topuria: Cruz, Martin, Meshew<\/p>\n

Arman Tsarukyan: Heck, Lee, Youngs<\/p>\n

Of all the weight classes, lightweight is perhaps the trickiest to predict in 2026 because of the unknowns at the top of the division. Later this month, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett face off for an interim title because Ilia Topuria is taking time off for personal reasons. The assumption is that Topuria will face the winner of that fight later this year, but is that even a safe assumption at this point?<\/p>\n

Amid all the uncertainty, half the staff sided with Topuria (as one of this number, my belief is he fights Pimblett or Gaethje, and that\u2019s it for 2026), while the other half picked the man who should be fighting for the title, Arman Tsarukyan. And then Blaine David came in from left field with \u2018BMF\u2019 champion Max Holloway joining the two-division champion club.<\/p>\n

\"SYDNEY,<\/a><\/p>\n

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 10: UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski poses during a UFC 235 Media Opportunity at Hickson Rd Reserve on December 10, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Alexander Volkanovski: Cruz, David, Heck<\/p>\n

Diego Lopes: Meshew, Youngs<\/p>\n

After losing the featherweight title in 2024, Volkanovski reclaimed the vacant belt when Topuria moved up to lightweight last year, beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314. Now he will run things back with Lopes in a few weeks, and three staffers believe he will win once again, while two think Lopes beats him this time around.<\/p>\n

But if Volkanovski does win, will he stick around? At 37 years old and already a guaranteed future Hall of Famer, there\u2019s not much more left for \u201cThe Great\u201d to accomplish in the sport. Volk has said he would like one more title defense after Lopes, even mentioning Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev as possibilities, before moving up to try for the lightweight title one more time, but it remains to be seen if that\u2019s even on the table.<\/p>\n

All told, featherweight is one of the most intriguing divisions for 2026.<\/p>\n

\"ABU<\/a><\/p>\n

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 25: Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia reacts after a victory against Mario Bautista in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 321 event at Etihad Arena on October 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Umar Nurmagomedov: David, Lee, Martin, Meshew, Youngs<\/p>\n

If at first you don\u2019t succeed, try, try again.<\/p>\n

Last year, six staffers picked Umar Nurmagomedov to win the bantamweight title, and they were rendered incorrect almost immediately, when Merab Dvalishvili beat him at UFC 311. Even Mike Heck, who picked Yan to end 2025 as champion, did so with the belief that Umar would beat Merab, and Yan would beat Umar.<\/p>\n

Well, it seems most of us didn\u2019t learned any lessons from that, because five of us have chosen Umar to win the title, while Guilherme Cruz believes Merab will win the rubber match with Umar, and Mike Heck is standing by his man to keep the belt throughout 2026.<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 04: Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil is seen on stage during the UFC 323 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on December 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Alexandre Pantoja: Cruz, Youngs<\/p>\n

Nobody, and I mean nobody, saw Joshua Van ending 2026 as the flyweight champion.<\/p>\n

Van began 2025 unranked and ended the year as the king of the 125ers, one of the most impressive breakout years of all time, albeit with a slightly awkward title win. And perhaps because of that awkward title win, flyweight is the most contentious division to predict.<\/p>\n

Only Blaine David believes Van will keep that momentum in 2026 and hold onto his title. Meanwhile, two staffers believe long-reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja will return from injury to reclaim his title, and two others believe that Manel Kape will finally get a title fight and get the job done.<\/p>\n

Then there are the two Japanese contenders.<\/p>\n

Kyoji Horiguchi looked like he might get a title fight if Pantoja won at UFC 323, and Alexander K. Lee thinks that\u2019s still coming for the former RIZIN and Bellator champion, but first he\u2019ll have to get past Amir Albazi in February. Meanwhile, I\u2019m backing my longtime boy Tatsuro Taira to ascend to the top of 125 pounds, after he ran over former champion Brandon Moreno in December.<\/p>\n

But knowing the flyweight division, we\u2019re all probably wrong, and it\u2019ll be someone like Lone\u2019er Kavanagh coming out of nowhere.<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 05: Kayla Harrison is seen on stage during the UFC It\u2019s On Seasonal Press Conference at T-Mobile Arena on December 05, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Kayla Harrison: David, Lee, Martin, Meshew<\/p>\n

Amanda Nunes: Cruz, Youngs<\/p>\n

Valentina Shevchenko: Heck<\/p>\n

In 2025, a majority of the staff picked Harrison to win the bantamweight belt, and boy, were they right. This year, Harrison still has the bulk of the votes to retain, but with the Amanda Nunes fight looming later this month, two of our number believe the former champion will return to the octagon and return to glory, while Mike Heck has gone completely off the board and picked flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko to move back up to 135 pounds and make her case for being the WMMA GOAT.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 15: Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan reacts after her victory in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Valentina Shevchenko: David, Martin, Meshew, Youngs<\/p>\n

The only champion to hold the undisputed title in their division fully throughout 2025, Shevchenko is the obvious favorite to do so again this year. Sure, Shevchenko will be 38 in March, but after a sensational campaign in 2025, who would pick against her?<\/p>\n

Well, more than you\u2019d think, I suppose, but Mike Heck isn\u2019t picking against Shevchenko; he just thinks she\u2019s moving up to bantamweight. That leaves Guilherme Cruz and Alexander K. Lee believing Shevchenko will lose her belt the old-fashioned way. If that does happen, it seems like Natalia Silva will get the first crack at upsetting Shevchenko, while Lee has the deep cut selection of Thainara.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 14: Zhang Weili of China poses on the scale during the UFC 322 ceremonial weigh-in at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Zhang Weili: Cruz, David, Heck, Lee, Martin, Youngs<\/p>\n

Very nearly our only unanimous selection this year falls to the strawweight GOAT, Zhang Weili, and it\u2019s easy to understand. Zhang did not lose her title, but vacated it to move up to 125 pounds, leaving Mackenzie Dern to win the vacant title while she was away. But after Zhang was completely dominated by Shevchenko, it seems like she\u2019s going to return to 115 pounds, where she will be a sizable favorite over anyone she faces.<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t care. As one of the very few people to never sell my Mackenzie Dern stock, 2025 was electric. Not only did Dern finally fight for a belt, but she won the thing. And asterisk or no, banners hang forever. So what, you think I spent years foolishly backing Dern to now turn around and abandon her the moment she reaches the mountaintop?<\/p>\n

Nay, I say. You all can do the reasonable, safe, predictable thing. But me? I\u2019m choosing to live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another year of MMA has come and gone, and once again, it\u2019s been made abundantly clear that we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,701,638,82,640,702],"class_list":{"0":"post-396338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-latest-news","12":"tag-mma","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-ufc","15":"tag-ufc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}