Athletes
The Lightweight Division | 2026 Preview
A Consistently Explosive Division Looks To Bring Even More Intrigue To The New Year
Considered the premier weightclass for nearly the last decade, lightweight is in the midst of a sea-change, but that doesn’t mean its quality of fighter dipped in the slightest. In 2025, the division saw the departure of its champion in Islam Makhachev as well as the retirement one of its perennial contenders and standard-bearers in Dustin Poirier. A couple of young contenders stepped into the elite tier in their stead, but a few of those mainstays remained with emphatic performances.
All of the shifts point toward the division’s champion: Ilia Topuria. The Georgian-born Spainard continued his ascension to one of the best fighters in the world, successfully moving up from his featherweight throne to secure the lightweight title in stunning fashion. However, a murky future leaves the door open to a couple different paths later in the year, each of which have their own dramatic storylines and tension available.
Title Picture
Champion: Ilia Topuria
Contenders: Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira
Names to Watch: Benoît Saint Denis, Rafael Fiziev, Mauricio Ruffy
Outlook for 2026: “El Matador” called his shot — a first-round knockout to secure the lightweight title — and did exactly that at UFC 317. The finish extended Topuria’s objectively stunning run of title-fight finishes after he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to grab the featherweight title and then subsequently knocked out Max Holloway to defend it. After snagging his second title, Topuria chased a fight with Islam Makhachev before flirting with fights against former interim champion Justin Gaethje as well as his popular rival Paddy Pimblett. Neither came to fruition, and the 28-year-old recently announced he is taking a step back from competition as he manages concerns outside the Octagon.
Ilia Topuria | Top Finishes
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Ilia Topuria | Top Finishes
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That reality created an opportunity for the interim title for which Pimblett and Gaethje will collide at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. Should Gaethje win the interim belt for a second time, he would represent yet another veteran test for Topuria whereas Pimblett winning could set up a long-gestating grudge-match later in 2026. The cloud hanging over the championship conversation, however, is Arman Tsarukyan, who saw his title opportunity pass him by when he pulled out of his year-opening fight against Makhachev at UFC 311. In hopes of winning some favor back from the UFC brass, he successfully weighed-in as the backup at UFC 317 before headlining the promotion’s first event in Qatar where he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round. The 29-year-old is roundly considered the top contender at 155 pounds, and, stylistically, one of the most difficult matchups for any man he faces, but he’ll have to wait for his next shot at gold to start 2026.
2025 UFC.COM AWARDS: The Newcomers | The Submissions | The Knockouts | The Fighters | The Fights
Topuria’s absence also leaves the door cracked for Holloway and Oliveira, who will fight for the BMF title at UFC 326 on March 7. The two former champions bounced back from their losses to “El Matador” in impressive and classic fashion with Holloway outdueling Poirier in New Orleans to defend the BMF title while Oliveira defended home turn in Brazil, submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the second round. At 34 and 36, respectively, the two surefire Hall of Fame members are not only fighting for the symbolic title in Las Vegas but also to keep their undisputed-championship hopes alive in 2026.
Lightweight’s changing of the guard has been a choppy one thanks to its Hall of Fame veterans like Poirier, Gaethje and Oliveira. That has left younger contenders like Benoît Saint Denis and Rafael Fiziev on the outside looking in after unsuccessfully making their bids for title contention, but both men were able to secure wins in 2025 to regain their traction in the division. Fighting Nerds representative Mauricio Ruffy will look to do the same when he faces Fiziev at UFC 325. “One Shot” split his affairs in 2025, scoring one of the best knockouts of the year over King Green before succumbing to Saint Denis in Paris.
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On its face, the lightweight division looks a little messy, but messy turns into drama, and drama turns into tension, and tension—when that comes between incredibly skilled and entertaining fighters—turns into must-see TV. That all gets put on front street in UFC’s first event of 2026, which could kick off a memorable series of events at 155 pounds.
Other Names to Track: Manuel Torres, Farès Ziam, Quillan Salkilld
Don't miss a moment of UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2026. Prelims start at 7pm ET/4pm PT, followed by the main card live on Paramount+ at 9pm ET/6pm PT.