MMA Rank 50-1: Which stars could shine the brightest in 2026? - ESPN

Long-reigning UFC champions were an endangered species in 2025. Of the 11 current titleholders, one has a reign that began before the start of last year. But with volatility comes opportunity.

Two champions vacated their titles to move up a division and claim a new belt — lightweight (and former featherweight) champion Ilia Topuria and welterweight (former lightweight) champion Islam Makhachev. Another champ, Zhang Weili, vacated but fell short in a bid to rule a new domain. Three other former UFC champions ended 2025 back on top of their divisions. A couple of first-time champions essentially came out of nowhere.

The two 2025 double titlists, Topuria and Makhachev, head this year's MMA Rank, but this top 50 list is not simply an acknowledgement of past achievements. It is an ESPN panel's projection of who will succeed most over the next 12 months based on recent performances, upcoming fights and variables that extend outside the cage.

The order of 50 fighters was determined by a binary model that averages the voting results. Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters assess what could be in store for each athlete in 2026.

2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 15-2

The no-nonsense Hernandez burned a hole in the middleweight rankings by grinding down both Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze in 2025. His virtually limitless energy will be put to the test against Sean Strickland in February, and a win would catapult him into title contention. — Hale

2025 rank: Unranked
MMA record: 16-3

It's difficult to stand out in the lightweight division because it's so deep with talent. Saint Denis recovered beautifully from his two-fight skid in 2024 with three early finishes in 2025, and he'll start this year with a matchup