UFC Fighters Who Lost Their Undefeated Records in 2026

There are some names that have made a mark at that position in the 2026 season, including fighters who had built reputations on their runs as undefeated fighters. Names like Movsar Evloev, Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria, along with some of the rising prospects who tasted their first professional losses, make up the information given for this list.

The Biggest Runs for Undefeated Fighters That Ended in 2026

1) Lerone Murphy - Lerone Murphy suffered the first defeat of his pro career as he was beaten by Movsar Evloev at UFC London on March 21. Evloev won by majority decision, with two judges scoring it 48-46 and a third judge calling it a 47-47 draw. This result ended Murphy’s impressive run as one of the UFC's undefeated fighters.

2) Mansur Abdul-Malik- On March 28, Abdul-Malik's first professional loss occurred at UFC Seattle when Belgaroui stopped him with strikes at 3:39 of the third round. Abdul-Malik's impressive middleweight winning streak came to a stop as a result.

3) Khamzat Chimaev - Before suffering his first defeat in the UFC 328 bout on May 9, he was 15-0. In a split decision, Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title; two judges gave Strickland a score of 48-47, while the third judge gave Chimaev a score of 48-47.

4) Ilia Topuria - On June 14, Topuria lost his first professional fight at UFC Freedom 250. At the conclusion of the fourth round, Topuria's corner stopped the bout, giving Gaethje the lightweight title, dropping him from the list of undefeated fighters. A fighter who had previously won UFC gold in the featherweight and lightweight categories was severely damaged by this.

The other names of previously-undefeated fighters who lost their first bout in the UFC this year are Iwo Baraniewski, Gable Steveson, Movsar Evloev,Asaf Chopurov. 

What These Defeats to Undefeated Fighters Mean to UFC

The results are a testament  to how fast things can turn around in mixed martial arts. Entering 2026, Chimaev and Topuria had championship belts around them as undefeated fighters, and Murphy and Evloev were important players in the featherweight title picture. The road ahead has changed with their losses, but one loss doesn’t mean a fighter’s title dreams are over.

One important distinction is that this is not an exhaustive list of every UFC fighter that lost their unbeaten record this year; rather, it is a list of eight noteworthy, verifiable occurrences of undefeated fighters losing as of Oct. 25.