On Saturday night in Las Vegas, the UFC kicked off its 2026 schedule with its first major event of the year, UFC 324. On the main card of the event, fan-favorite heavy hitter Derrick Lewis returned for a clash with fellow top-10 fighter Waldo Cortes Acosta.

Happy New Year’s, everyone, as we get back into our daily routines to start the week. One of those routines is this article, which will keep you up to date on dates for a lot of these fighters, as well as my usual antics.

Arman Tsarukyan has criticised Paddy Pimblett’s path through the UFC, claiming the promotion gave him a favourable run through the lightweight division with handpicked opponents and heavy marketing. Arman Tsarukyan questioned the legitimacy of Paddy Pimblett’s rise in the UFC,

Rose Namajunas is arguably the best strawweight in UFC history. She enjoyed two reigns as the division's champion, first capturing the title with a knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk and then a knockout of Zhang Weili—two names in the division's GOAT debate.

SportsLine's Kyle Marley reveals his picks for the UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett fight card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the debut UFC event on Paramount+

The Featured Prelim of UFC 324 features a ranked Bantamweight tilt. Check our UFC odds for the Nurmagomedov-Figueiredo prediction and pick.

Few boxers had a more transformative 2025 than Haney, who shook off a beatdown by Ryan Garcia (later overturned to a no-contest) in 2024 and not only won both his fights but also picked up a title belt in a third weight class.

Jailton Almeida is stepping in to face Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Vegas 113 following the withdrawal of Ryan Spann.

Makhachev, Topruia or Chimaev? ESPN ranks the top 50 fighters in MMA based on how they will perform in 2026.