2025 proved to be another blockbuster year for the UFC. The promotion raked in over a billion dollars in revenue, cementing its status in the entire combat sports landscape both in and outside of the Octagon. Apart from the financial success, Dana White and Co. also treated fans to an incredible slate of fights, including first-time encounters between top contenders. And guess what? Even rival MMA promotions have put on some of the best fights in recent memory.

With 2026 approaching fast, the anticipation among fans is as high as it has ever been. They’re waiting for the next wave of dream matchups, which could go on to define the next year for the sport of MMA. So, here’s a list of dream fights that the fight community deserves to see.

Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title

One of the most obvious picks on this list is the fight between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev. Both champions have traded verbal jibes for a long time and have even agreed to fight, believing that it is one of the biggest matchups Dana White can make. Makhachev initially wanted to fight at the White House, but his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov dismissed that idea.

Moreover, Ilia Topuria has also expressed his wish to “submit” Islam Makhachev in front of ‘The Eagle’, so the story is already there for the lightweight and the welterweight champion to showcase an engaging rivalry. Additionally, Topuria also has the opportunity to become the first-ever three-weight champion in the UFC and the second fighter to do so in professional MMA. There is a lot riding on this fight, so Dana White might want to consider this one.

Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones for the heavyweight title

Another obvious pick for a dream matchup is a heavyweight match that almost everybody in the MMA community is calling for. Since the closing stages of 2023, Jon Jones has been downplaying a potential matchup against Tom Aspinall, as we all know it. Instead, ‘Bones’ chose to take on Stipe Miocic, who looked way past his prime when they fought.

After vacating the belt and temporarily retiring, only to come back, Jon Jones revealed his plans to fight at the White House. Although Dana White has shut down any chances of Jones competing on that card, he does have a golden opportunity to pit him against Tom Aspinall, adding one of the many title fights that President Donald Trump has announced will take place on his birthday in 2026. The UFC CEO said himself that this is one of the biggest fights in MMA that can be made. So, maybe 2026 is the year the plans materialize.

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Conor McGregor takes on Michael Chandler in his comeback fight

So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The MMA fans have been waiting for their biggest superstar to make his way back inside the Octagon, but Conor McGregor can’t seem to find his way back in action. Michael Chandler has been waiting for his ‘red panty night’ moment since 2022, with McGregor constantly telling the media that he’s going to fight the former Bellator champion.

The good news is that Conor McGregor seems to be getting back to his fighting mindset. In the past few months, ‘The Notorious’ has claimed to have made certain changes to his lifestyle, hoping to get on the White House card, and Dana White is on board with that idea. With McGregor not getting any younger, 2026 might be the year that he finally makes his comeback against an opponent who’s been waiting on the sidelines.

Alex Pereira vs Carlos Ulberg

We know that Alex Pereira is a sought-after opponent for Jon Jones, who wants to add a win over the two-weight champion and stack up his resume even more. That’s a pretty enticing offer for ‘Poatan’, but as the champion of the light heavyweight division, he needs to keep the division moving. If we take a look at the rankings, only Carlos Ulberg appears to be the most logical opponent for Pereira as the opponent for the first title defense of his second reign.

Carlos Ulberg has been putting on some impressive performances in his UFC run, having amassed a 9-fight winning streak that started in 2022. Alex Pereira has already fought and beaten Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, so he might as well take on the New Zealand star, which would make for an interesting matchup. This is a more realistic fight for the Brazilian than taking on Jon Jones.

Khamzat Chimaev vs Nassourdine Imavov

Khamzat Chimaev has closed one chapter of his professional fighting career, which is winning the UFC middleweight championship. Now, the next chapter begins where he goes on to defend his belt, and right around the corner, a credible contender is waiting for his chance to become the first on ‘Borz’s list. Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borralho recently to inch closer to a title shot.

At the moment, Dricus du Plessis is the #1 contender, but his loss to Chimaev in dominant fashion is unlikely to help him earn a title shot. So, the #2-ranked fighter, Nassourdine Imavov, is likely to come in. He’s already on a 5-fight winning streak, and it makes all the sense to pit him against Khamzat Chimaev for Dana White and give MMA fans a big middleweight matchup in 2026.

Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev

2026 has to be the year that the deserving contenders get what they should have gotten some time ago. Movsar Evloev has been building his UFC record, maintaining a clean sheet and registering wins whenever he steps inside the Octagon for a fight. While he was calling for a title shot, the Russian fighter had to sit out the entire year of 2025 without competing.

Reports claim that he’s been scheduled to fight Lerone Murphy at UFC London in March after being snubbed for Diego Lopes for a title second fight against Alexander Volkanovski. If Movsar Evloev manages to beat ‘The Miracle’, there are fans who would love to see him fight for the title next before the year comes to an end. As we’re discussing deserving title contenders, the next entry on the list falls within that criteria.

Arman Tsarukyan should get his title shot

It apparently takes just one misstep to sway Dana White away from you. Arman Tsarukyan unintentionally did that when he pulled out of his UFC 311 title fight against Islam Makhachev after sustaining an injury at the last minute. Since then, he’s been looked past by the matchmaking team, and Dana White made it evident that it’s back to the drawing board for Tsarukyan after snubbing him for the UFC 324 interim title fight.

The general belief is that the winner of the interim title fight, either Paddy Pimblett or Justin Gaethje, will fight Ilia Topuria to unify the belts. But after that, fans would love to see Ilia Topuria fight Arman Tsarukyan or whoever becomes the champion after the title unification fight because they believe it’s long overdue, and the Armenian star should get what he deserves and has worked hard for.

Valentina Shevchenko vs Kayla Harrison

Let’s get down to WMMA business. Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has made quite the impact since her arrival in the UFC, beating Holly Holm and then Julianna Pena to win the divisional gold. Now, she’s gearing up for a one-in-a-lifetime showdown against Amanda Nunes, which is one of the most anticipated women’s MMA fights in recent memory.

But if she gets past that, there’s another big fight waiting for her. Flyweight assassin and queen Valentina Shevchenko recently dominated ex-strawweight champion Zhang Weili, showcasing that she’s a level above the Chinese star. So, the next logical move for the Kyrgyz fighter would be to go for the bantamweight title another time. Given that she’s already fought and lost twice to Amanda Nunes, it would be interesting to see how she does against Kayla Harrison, which would be a big-time WMMA fight, nevertheless.

Francis Ngannou vs Vadim Nemkov

Well, the UFC is not the only promotion that has credible names on the roster. Former UFC champion and current PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou hasn’t been able to find a worthy opponent ever since he demolished Renan Ferreira to capture his belt. However, he might have one big fight at the moment in the PFL against the reigning heavyweight champion.

Russian ace Vadim Nemkov may not be in the UFC, but he’s been making waves in the PFL since his Bellator days. The 33-year-old recently recorded a first-round submission. He now wants to fight Francis Ngannou, calling him out for a heavyweight fight that would live on the history books of the PFL forever and could also be one of the biggest heavyweight MMA bouts to happen outside of the UFC.

Dakota Ditcheva fights Cris Cyborg in her final MMA fight

WMMA legend Cris Cyborg, after winning titles in the UFC and PFL, is ready to close the chapter on her MMA career. At 40 years old, she’s got nothing more to prove, and following her win over Sara Collins to capture the inaugural PFL women’s featherweight championship, Cyborg revealed that she wants to explore her career in boxing, which is also a sport she likes.

But before claiming that her next fight will be the last MMA fight of her career, she revealed that she had Dakota Ditcheva as one of her ideal opponents. The 27-year-old British fighter is on a 15-0 undefeated run and has pretty much wiped out the entire flyweight division. Well, jumping up a couple of weight classes might be tough, but Ditcheva has an opportunity to bid farewell to a legend while also raising her stock and inching a step closer to making it to the UFC.

Well, these are our picks for the MMA fights that must happen in 2026. If we missed out on anything, let us know in the comments section below.