Fighters on the Rise 2026 | Part 1

It feels like Abdul-Malik is just scratching the surface of is potential through his first four UFC appearances and 10 professional fights, which is scary considering he’s gone 3-0-1 in the Octagon and 9-0-1 overall to begin his career.

The 28-year-old is a sponge when it comes to this sport and working with the elite collection of fighters and coaches at Xtreme Couture only serves to bolster the potential for a breakout in 2026. He showed a new element of his game in submitting Antonio Trocoli to close out his 2025 campaign and is very much a part of an impressive pack of emerging lightweights.

Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Cavalcanti made this list last year and justified inclusion for a second time by adding two more wins to her resume to climb into the Top 10 in the bantamweight division.

Based in Las Vegas for the last couple years and training at Syndicate MMA, the 28-year-old is fundamentally sound and continuing to show greater comfort inside the Octagon and trust in her skills each time out. There are a host of veteran names ahead of her in the rankings, and this could be the year that Cavalcanti gets the chance to show that she’s one of the best in the 135-pound weight class.

Melquizael Costa

Costa was one of the unexpected breakout talents of last year, posting four wins to run his winning streak to five and gaining traction in the featherweight division and in the public.

The 29-year-old Brazilian has only lost once when competing in his natural weight class in the UFC and wrapped 2025 by walking out to “Hakuna Matata” and then sparking Morgan Charriere with a swift kick upside the head. As more people learn his story, connect with his colorful personality, and see him compete, Costa will become a fan favorite and could challenge for a place in the 145-pound rankings.

Islam Dulatov

Dulatov ticks all the boxes when it comes to being a potential breakout candidate as he’s won a dozen straight since dropping his professional debut, produced a bonus-winning finish in his first UFC appearance, and has the swagger of someone that fully believes they will one day sit on the welterweight throne.

Did I mention he’s also a model? Yeah.

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The one thing that creates a little pause when it comes to going all-in on the 27-year-old finisher is that he fought just once in 2025 and has primarily been a “two fights per year” type of guy, which can occasionally make it difficult to gain real traction. But if you’re finishing people the way he did Adam Fugitt at UFC 318, that probably won’t be an issue.

Ateba Gautier

Bantamweight is flush with talent, but Jourdain appears primed to be a dark horse in the division in 2026.

The French-Canadian shifted to the 135-pound ranks in the back half of 2024, debuting with as second-round submission win over Victor Henry in Edmonton. An injury issue limited him to just a single appearance this past year, but he made the absolute most of it, showing out in Vancouver with a first-round submission of Davey Grant with the same signature high-elbow guillotine he used on Henry, as well as Ricardo Ramos before them.

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Jourdain is much better suited to competing at bantamweight, where his speed, athleticism, and diverse arsenal all play well compared to when he was constantly undersized during his featherweight run. With personality for days and the added wrinkle of competing alongside his younger brother Louis this coming, expect to see and hear a lot from the 30-year-old in the months ahead.

Carli Judice

The second holdover from last year’s group to appear on this list, Kline used her first year competing in her natural weight class to post three wins and claim a place in the Top 15.

After a good showing on short notice up a division in her debut, “The Archangel” returned to strawweight in 2025, pounding out a win over Viktoriia Dudakova in January and knocking out Melissa Martinez with a head kick in July before returning home to New York and out-hustling Angela Hill across three rounds at UFC 322 to catapult herself to No. 12 in the rankings. The sky is the limit for Kline, and it would not be surprising to see her making a real push towards the Top 5 in the coming year.

David Martinez

Martinez made the absolute most of his two 2025 appearances and heads into his second year on the UFC roster sporting a number next to his name and the opportunity to really establish himself as one of the up-and-coming talents on the roster this coming year.

The Dana White’s Contender Series grad used a short-notice opportunity again Rob Font to catapult himself into the rankings after just two fights, and now with prominent pairings likely in his future, the 27-year-old Mexican could see his popularity continue to rise as the Latin American market continues to expand. On top of being an ascending talent in the Octagon, Martinez is part of only the second brother-sister combo to compete in the UFC and is an orthopedic surgeon by trade, which makes him a fascinating figure outside of the cage as well.

Bia Mesquita

The eldest competitor on this list at 34 years of age, Mesquita is a relative neophyte in MMA, but makes this list because she is unbeaten, has a clear path to contention and is an established superstar in the Brazilian jiu jitsu community as one of the most decorated competitors of all time.

A 10-time world champion with numerous accolades across all the elite competitions in the grappling world, Mesquite has gone 6-0 since transitioning to mixed martial arts, including winning her promotional debut by second-round submission in October. Though she’s very much a work-in-progress at this point, she’s working with a great group at American Top Team, is a nightmare on the canvas for anyone in the division, and competes in a weight class (bantamweight) where it only takes a couple solid efforts to find yourself facing a ranked opponent… or scaling the rankings yourself.