Highlights
The Newcomers | 2026 Half-Year Awards
The Thomas Gerbasi UFC.com Awards Tips Our Cap To The Best First-Year Fighters Through The Opening Six Months Of 2026
“Got any ideas for next week?”
That’s the email question I would get around this time every year from our late Editorial Director Thomas Gerbasi, who passed away unexpectedly back in September. The final event of the first half would have just wrapped, and with an “off week” ahead, TG would be looking for ideas and content to fill the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend.
All I would write back is “Awards,” followed by my personal Top 5 selections for the five categories we’d always voted on in June and December: newcomers, submissions, knockouts, fights, and fighters.
This is the first year I didn’t get that email, and it admittedly feels weird. But stepping into TG’s shoes and being the person that prompted the other members of our team and voting panel to get their submissions in made me smile, as did the easy decision to give our bi-annual staff awards a new official name.
Welcome the Thomas Gerbasi UFC.com Half-Year Awards
Here’s a look at the Top 5 Newcomers of 2026.
1 - Murtazali Magomedov
Murtazali Magomedov Scores First-Round Twister In Debut | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi
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Murtazali Magomedov Scores First-Round Twister In Debut | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi
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First-place votes were split across a couple of different athletes, but Magomedov was the only competitor to land on every ballot after opening his UFC tenure with a jaw-dropping submission win over Melsik Baghdasaryan late in the voting period to advance to 11-0 as a professional and maintain his perfect finishing rate.
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A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’25 — everyone on this list is, actually — Magomedov took the fight to Baghdasaryan straight out of the gates, and then locked him up in a modified twister shortly after they hit the canvas, finishing the fight in 77 seconds and collecting a Performance of the Night bonus for his troubles.
The 26-year-old is only the fourth person to hit a twister inside the Octagon, and his sophomore appearance is definitely going to be a must-watch regardless of who he faces after this stunning debut.
2 - Imanol Rodriguez
After falling to eventual winner Joseph Morales in the semifinals of the Ultimate Fighter 33 flyweight tournament, Rodriguez landed an opportunity on the Contender Series and punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round stoppage win over Roque Conceicao in two minutes and change.
In February, he made his promotional debut, collecting a second-round finish of Kevin Borjas that started with a clubbing overhand right and has aged very well in recent weeks.
Rodriguez was a clear prospect to track during his time on TUF, and he battled the veteran Morales close in the semis. Now working with his TUF coach, Daniel Cormier, and the crew at The Academy, the undefeated Mexican prospect is another young name to watch in the bustling flyweight division.
3 - Marwan Rahiki
Anyone who watched Rahiki earn his contract last season on DWCS knew he was must-see TV once he landed in the Octagon, as his battle with Ananias Mulumba was a back-and-forth slobberknocker for all seven minutes and 13 seconds that it lasted. The Moroccan-born, Australia-based featherweight has maintained that designation through his first two UFC appearances as well.
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In February, the 24-year-old registered a second-round finish of former Cage Warriors standout Harry Hardwick, with the Brit forced to bow out between rounds after having suffered a broken jaw. Seven weeks later, Rahiki collected a second win, stopping late replacement Ollie Schmid in the opening stanza in Perth to advance to 9-0 overall while maintaining his 100-percent finishing rate.
Though he’s still raw and needs to garner more experience, Rahiki is tremendously entertaining. The promotion certainly sees something in him, as his bout in Perth was originally scheduled to take place against Jack Jenkins, which was a marked step up for a sophomore effort. Two wins and two finishes have landed people higher on the podium in previous years, but a bronze medal at the midway point and strong positioning for a podium finish come December is not a bad consolation prize.
4 - Juan Diaz
Juan Diaz Submits Malcolm Wellmaker In UFC Debut | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa
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Juan Diaz Submits Malcolm Wellmaker In UFC Debut | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa
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Diaz won a gritty brawl with South Korea’s Kwon Il Won to claim his place on the roster and then was tasked with facing Malcolm Wellmaker in his debut. Last year’s top newcomer at the halfway point entered off the first loss of his career and expected to rebound, but Diaz had other ideas.
From the jump, “Pegajoso” was the quicker, more diverse, and more effective of the two, beating Wellmaker to the punch and keeping him out of rhythm, unable to really get off with anything much. They picked and pawed at one another for much of the first two minutes of the second before Diaz changed levels and initiated a grappling entanglement after Wellmaker over-threw a left hand, chasing him into the fence, where he worked around to the back. Diaz stayed sticky and continued wrestling as Wellmaker defended, eventually sinking his hooks and fishing his arm under the neck to collect the submission finish.
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Folks are going to play the “… yeah, but…” game now that Wellmaker has dropped two straight but make no mistake about it — this was a very good win for the 28-year-old rookie who should be heard from against going forward.
5 - Ryan Gandra
Ryan Gandra Stops Medina In Round One | UFC Mexico
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Ryan Gandra Stops Medina In Round One | UFC Mexico
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When you win your debut in under a minute, people are going to sit up, take notice, and cast some votes in your favor.
Gandra needed just 41 seconds to dispatch Jose Daniel Medina on the final day of February in Mexico City to collect a win in his promotional debut. He showed zero nerves or hesitation, immediately taking the fight to the durable DWCS alum, hitting him with a stepping knee up the middle 30 seconds in that kicked off the finishing sequence. Medina tried to weather the storm, but Gandra was unrelenting, putting him down with a series of heavy punches that left “Chico” trying to ankle pick the referee after he waved off the contest.
The 31-year-old “Problema” has now won eight straight — seven by stoppage, six in the first round — and is lined up to return to action against all-action American Zachary Reese as part of the UFC 329 prelims next weekend in Las Vegas.
Others receiving votes: Tommy Gantt, Levan Chokheli, Tyrell Fortune, Regina Tarin, Alberto Montes, Lerryan Douglas, Luis Felipe Dias, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani, Rodrigo Vera, Shane Collins, Shanelle Dyer, Gokhan Saricam