The UFC roster is deeper with talent at the top than ever before. ClutchPoints' pound-for-pound rankings are littered with not just champions, but fighters who deserve a title shot in the near future. Even fighters outside of the top 20 rankings are nearing title contention.
There are a number of recent champions deserving of a rematch, multiple undefeated fighters who have yet to vie for the belt, and perennial contenders who need a chance to hoist gold. Not a single men's champion has successfully defended their belt in their respective weight class to this point. Plus, fans have really appreciated champions such as Alex Pereira and Merab Dvalishvili being super active in recent years.
The hope is that 2026 will have lots of great championship bouts, but who are the top 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. However, he won the Flyweight Championship in less than ideal fashion. At UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja broke his shoulder just 26 seconds into the first round.
Prior to that, he was a dominant champion who was chasing Demetrious Johnson as the best flyweight ever. Pantoja's run shouldn't have ended the way that it did, so he should be given an immediate rematch upon his return. However. Dana White thinks that may be some time away, so Tatsuro Taira should fight Van next if Pantoja isn't ready to go in time. Van could make a quick turnaround after his title fight went by so quickly.
Tatsuro is 18-1, with his only loss coming against Brandon Royval. Royval needs to be in line for a title fight, not only for that reason, but because his previous matchup against Van was one of the greatest fights in UFC history. The two combined for 419 significant strikes, the most ever in a three-round bout. Fans love it when the haymakers are flying, and Van and Royval would certainly put on another 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 most shocking UFC outcomes of the year. Although Dvalishvili finally looked human, he has done enough to warrant an immediate title rematch. Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 would settle a trilogy and create clarity on who the greatest bantamweights ever are.
Umar Nurmagomedov also deserves a title shot. Like the rest of his family and training partners, he doesn't do much losing. Nurmagomedov bounced back from the lone loss of his career by ending Mario Bautista's eight-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov was hurt early when he lost to Dvalishvili, so it would be nice to see him fully equipped in a title fight.
Another fight that could 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 of their stars. He has an unforgettable look and an entertaining fighting style that utilizes unique strikes and impressive knockout power. It seems that he doesn't have what it takes to beat Dvalishvili, but the UFC would likely be happy to put him up against Yan again. O'Malley would, of course, have to beat Song Yadong in their upcoming fight to warrant a title shot, though, as there is no way that they could justify giving him another shot at the belt after three straight losses.
Featherweight
Champion: Alexander Volkanovski
Top three contenders: Movsar Evloev, Lerone Murphy, Diego Lopes
Many thought Alexander Volkanovski's career would be nearing a close when he lost to Ilia Topuria, but Topuria's departure to the lightweight division allowed the greatest featherweight ever to recapture his belt, and now he has a whole new cast of contenders to improve his legacy against.
Diego Lopes is the next fighter that Volkanovski is taking on, but it seems a little bit early for a rematch after Volkanovski bested Lopes at UFC 314. Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy should have been ahead of Lopes in line. Evloev is 19-0, and it appears that a perceived boring fighting style is being used against him.
That is unfair, though, as the same critique was used against Dvalishvili before he became an admired, dominant, and entertaining champion. Evloev is tied for the most wins without a loss in the UFC, and he deserves a chance. Murphy is a fellow unbeaten fighter at 17-0-1 who was also given the boring label, but he dispelled that idea with a highlight-worthy spinning back elbow against Aaron Pico. There is enough talent at featherweight that the UFC should have given Volkanovski new 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 for the time being to deal with personal issues. In the meantime, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will fight for the Interim Lightweight Championship, with the winner being next in line to take on Topuria to unify the 155-pound titles.
Neither of these fighters should have been the top choice for an interim championship, though. That honor belongs to Arman Tsarukyan, but he remains in Dana White's doghouse for pulling out of a previously scheduled title fight due to injury. Pimblett is 7-0 inside the UFC, so a title shot was going to come soon, but it might be a little bit premature, and perhaps he was fast-tracked because of 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 always entertaining, but Tsarukyan and Pimblett should have been in front of him in line, as should have been Max Holloway.
Holloway landed a buzzer-beating knockout on Gaethje at UFC 300 in what was one of the greatest knockouts in MMA history. Holloway has already lost to Topuria, but that was at 145 pounds. He is the BMF belt holder, and fans would love to see his boxing expertise against a power 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 in the UFC, moved up to 170 pounds and became a two-division champion. That is why welterweight is the most stacked weight class in the promotion, and it is why Makhachev can establish himself as one of the best UFC fighters ever if he knocks off some of the top dogs vying for his belt.
Makhachev bested Jack Della Maddalena to become the Welterweight Champion. JDM had previously beaten Belal Muhammad to hoist the gold, and Muhammad's championship reign came after defeating Leon Edwards. None of those fighters are at the top of the line to get a title shot as things stand because there is just too much talent at the top of the division.
Shavkat Rakhmonov was previously ranked as the most deserving fighter in the entire UFC to get his first title shot. The 19-0 fighter has finished 18 of his opponents, and he is arguably the best undefeated fighter in the UFC besides Topuria. His versatile skill set could give Makhachav a run for his money, but unfortunately, a once guaranteed title shot may have to wait 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, with his most recent 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 come against Rakhmonov. However, nobody 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 take on Reinier de Ridder in a title eliminator fight of sorts. Hernandez had to pull out due to injury, but his absence led to a rare situation where a lack of availability may have actually helped him out. De Ridder had a bad performance against Brendan Allen that sent him stumbling down the middleweight rankings. Hernandez is one of the best takedown artists in the UFC, and a title shot could be around the corner because it would make for a fun stylistic matchup against Khamzat Chimaev.
The current 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 isn't the wrestling expert that Chimaev or Hernandez are, which puts him at risk, but his elite striking could be enough to knock Chimaev out with one punch.
Former Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis also still has potential. Before taking on Chimaev, his unorthodox style was a puzzle that nobody was able to figure out. However, he was dominated in one of the most one-sided championship bouts ever when he lost his belt to Chimaev. With the proper adjustments, mainly significantly improving his takedown defense, du Plessis could give Chimaev a much 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 in which he knocked out his first four opponents in Light Heavyweight Championship bouts. He then lost to Magomed Ankalaev, and many thought the magic was over. Pereira won the rematch, though, and while Ankalaev deserves a trilogy match, the UFC might not want to give that to him any time soon.
Jiri Prochazka is an entertaining fighter who is ranked as the number one contender, but he has already lost to Pereira twice. Those factors likely mean that Carlos Ulberg will be the next to take on Poatan. Ulberg has won each of his last nine fights, including most recently against Dominick Reyes. Reyes perhaps came closer to defeating Jon Jones, the greatest light heavyweight ever, than anybody in history, so that was a big 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 greatest heavyweight ever due to his incredible physical traits. However, he was losing to Ciryl Gane before an eye poke resulted in a premature no-contest ending. The anticlimactic finish will probably result in those two squaring off in 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 come in the form of a title shot, especially since Volkov has since beaten Jailton Almeida.
Waldo Cortes Acosta is the up-and-comer in the heavyweight division. He has won seven of his last eight fights, the last two of which came in knockout fashion. Cortes Acosta is taking on Derrick Lewis, one of the best knockout artists in UFC history, at UFC 324. If he comes out of that with a win, he could jump the line and become the number one contender.
Women's strawweight
Champion: Mackenzie Dern
Top three contenders: Zhang Weili, Tatiana Suarez, Alexia Thainara
The women's strawweight division is the thinnest in all of the UFC, especially since Zhang Weili vacated her belt to contend for double champion status at flyweight. Weili was dominant at 115 pounds, but she was outmatched at 125 pounds, and the disappointing loss may force her to come back down to strawweight to take on the new champion, Mackenzie Dern.
Tatiana Suarez only has one loss to her name, and it came against Weili. If Weili doesn't come back down to the division, then Suarez could get another title shot. Alexia Thainara is only ranked 15th in the UFC's strawweight rankings, but she is 13-1 and unbeaten in the UFC, so she could 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 next to take on Valentina Shevchenko, the Women's Flyweight Champion. Shevchenko has 11 title wins to her name. Silva is 7-0 in the UFC, and Namajunas was a two-time champion at strawweight.
Maycee Barber is one of the more famous women's mixed martial artists, and she has won each of her last seven fights. She has pulled out of fights far too often, which is likely the only 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 women's MMA right now. Her first title defense will be against the best 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 wanted to.
