As the great Bruce Buffer once said… “It’s TIME!”. The MMASucka outlandish MMA predictions 2026 are here.
Every year, we make 10 outlandish MMA predictions for the year ahead. If you want to check out our 2025 article, you can find it here, as well as see just how well (or badly) we got on with these predictions, which can be found here.
Without further ado, let’s look at 10 outlandish MMA predictions for 2026!
Outlandish MMA Predictions 2026
1 – Dakota Ditcheva will debut in the UFC in October
Dakota Ditcheva is, without a doubt, the hottest prospect outside of the UFC today. She’s dangerous by name and by nature. At 15-0 with 13 finishes, Ditcheva is a force to be reckoned with at flyweight and the UFC’s 125lvs division could do with a little freshness. The PFL simply aren’t pushing Ditcheva enough and, like many before her, we’re at risk of her career stalling.
This MMA prediction will see Ditcheva sign for the UFC and debut on their annual PPV in Abu Dhabi. She’s fought all around the world and on a card that often features British talent, she’ll clash with either Casey O’Neill or, depending on future results, Rose Namajunas.
2 – Arman Tsarukyan will fight for the undisputed lightweight title twice in 2026
As we know, the interim lightweight title is up for grabs in the main event of the first show of the year. The prediction will see Paddy Pimblett defeat Justin Gaethje and then meet Arman Tsarukyan in May for the title. This will be for the undisputed belt after the current champion, Ilia Topuria, relinquishes his belt due to outside-the-octagon issues.
Tsarukyan will defeat Pimblett and go on to defend his belt against Max Holloway, after the latter retains his BMF title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326. In a close affair, Tsarukyan will get the better of Blessed and set up an outing with Topuria in 2027.
3 – The White House card will have a negative effect on future cards throughout the year
We’re all excited for the scheduled White House card, why wouldn’t we be? It’s set to be the biggest UFC card in history, with President Trump noting that there will be eight or nine title fights on the card.
It sounds amazing. With that being said, it will have a negative effect on future UFC cards. If Trump is telling the truth and there are nine title fights on the White House card, that only leaves two titles to be defended at other events. We assume the numbered events in May and July will have titles attached, meaning events following this may not have titles attached.
It’ll be great to have a mega event in June, however, it’ll have a negative impact on future events.
4 – Tom Aspinall will defend his belt three times in 2026
Tom Aspinall’s career has stalled as of late, through no real fault of his own. He became the interim heavyweight champion in November 2023, defended that belt in July 2024 and made just a single appearance in 2025. The eye poke felt around the world of MMA will keep Aspinall out until at least April, but more likely May or June.
In June, Aspinall will rematch Ciryl Gane and despite not looking his usual dominant self in their original fight, Aspinall will get the victory.
He’ll meet Waldo Cortes-Acosta in October in Abu Dhabi, utilising his superior boxing skills and slicker movement to knock his opponent out in the first round.
The heavyweight king will then look to make a quick turn around to compete on the final numbered card on the year in December. His opponent will be Sergei Pavlovich, who will pick up his third straight win in a row at some point during 2026. An ambitious MMA prediction for sure.
5 – Sean Strickland Retires
Former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, had a 2025 to forget. Losing his rematch in a dominant fashion to Dricus du Plessis, followed by a six-month ban, Strickland will be hoping for a better 2026. It won’t be.
He’s scheduled to meet Anthony Hernandez in February, where Fluffy will get the better of Strickland with ease. Staring down the barrel of three straight losses, Strickland will try and get back to form with a Michael Page match-up.
In a close affair, the Brit will get the better of Strickland, leading to the American calling time on his career. It won’t be big, it won’t be special and will likely go unnoticed.
6 – Kayla Harrison Also Retires
The bantamweight queen, Kayla Harrison, will be the first champion to defend her belt in 2026 when she meets the returning GOAT, Amanda Nunes. It’s a tall order, as Nunes is 14-1 in her last 15 fights and has beaten each and every former women’s bantamweight champion.
This prediction sees Harrison defeat Nunes, possibly even within the distance, go on to fight Valentina Shevchenko at the White House, winning due to her size and then possibly return in December. She’ll then leave her belt and gloves in the middle of the octagon, with nothing left to prove and with her name firmly in the hat for the greatest of all time.
7 – Usman Nurmagomedov Signs for the UFC and Debuts on the same card as Dakota Ditcheva in October
PFL’s inaugural lightweight world championship, Usman Nurmagomedov, is, on paper, far too good for anyone in the PFL. He’s undefeated at 20-0-0-1 and has been dominant in a high majority of those fights. A member of the Nurmagomedov family, Usman is destined for the UFC at some point to follow in the footsteps of his brother Umar Nurmagomedov and his cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He stated that he has two more fights on his PFL contract and intends to fight once at the beginning and once at the end of the year. With that being said, he’s set to headline the PFL’s return to Dubai on February 7th. If his manager, Ali Abdelaziz can secure a contract in principle for Usman, expect him to be out again in the summer, rather than the end of the year.
This would free him from his PFL contract and allow him to sign for the UFC. His debut will come on October’s Abu Dhabi card, a place that he’s familiar with. This signing would have fans on the edge of their seats for sure.
8 – Conor McGregor Beats Michael Chandler at the White House and calls out Khabib
This is one of the more anticipated MMA predictions of 2026. It sees the UFC’s biggest ever star, Conor McGregor, make his highly anticipated return to action to finally face Michael Chandler.
The White House card is set to be huge and having the PPV megastar, McGregor return would top off a huge card. McGregor has been out since his leg break against Dustin Poirier in 2021 but was scheduled to face Chandler at UFC 303, however, McGregor had to withdraw due to injury.
Taking place at 170lbs, McGregor finishes Chandler on the White House lawn, takes to the mic and calls out his former foe, Khabib. Of course, it won’t come to fruition; however, it’ll certainly grab headlines.
9 – UFC will pillage Oktagon, signing a minimum of 10 fighters
Czech-Slovak promotion, Oktagon are taking over Europe. With huge shows in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany throughout 2025, they constantly pick up talent that have been cut from the UFC. This doesn’t mean that they don’t nurture their own talent, however.
Oktagon have multiple champions that could potentially mix it with the best in the UFC and we’ll see that come to fruition in 2026. Will Fleury recently knocked out former UFC man, Martin Buday in just 1:40 to defend his heavyweight belt, proving that he’s world-class.
Expect champions Fleury, Mateusz Legierski and Lucia Szabova to sign with the UFC, along with a number of other top contenders.
10 – Alex Pereira vacates the light heavyweight strap and Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg slug it out for the vacant title
Alex Pereira only captured the light heavyweight strap back from Magomed Ankalaev in October, but this prediction sees him give up the belt in early 2026. There’s a logical reason for this, however. Poatan will be moving up to pursue a belt in a third division at heavyweight.
The heavyweight picture as it stands is unclear. Will Tom Aspinall return soon? Will he even be able to fight again? Pereira will make the most of this heavyweight confusion and potentially look for an interim title shot against Cirly Gane in the second quarter of 2026. Outlandish? Yes. Possible? Most certainly.
