The first UFC event of 2026 brings the action we missed during the six-week break. The interim lightweight matchup between two of the toughest fighters in MMA somehow went the distance after five bloody rounds. Justin Gaethje earned every bit of my unanimous decision victory Above paddy pimblett And took home his second career interim belt for his effort. The win potentially sets up a unification match with the champion Ilya Topuria In autumn.
sean o’malley get back to winning ways against song yadong After almost two years without an Octagon victory. The relief on O’Malley’s face after raising his hands was obvious, and with a familiar O’Malley foe in control of the men’s bantamweight division, perhaps a path back to the title picture is in sight for “Suga.”
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hell and Jeff Wagenheim give their thoughts on those bouts and performances Natalia Silva And Waldo Cortes-AcostaWho may also have championship opportunities in the future.
Gaethje is not finished yet
Rumors of Gaethje’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Although Gaethje has openly discussed closing the final chapter of his outstanding fighting career, “The Highlight” against Pimblett showed he still has gas left in his tank. After losing to Gaethje by brutal knockout max hollowayThe expectation was that his violent fighting style would eventually catch up to him and his career would take several years.
While that may be true to some extent, it’s not over yet for Gaethje, who is now in line for a unification fight with Topuria, who Self-imposed hiatus from MMA.
What we saw in Gaethje was a violent, aggressive attack that almost vindicated Pimblett’s proclamation that “squeezers are not thrown out.” Gaethje nearly finished Pimblett in the first and second rounds, then faced a submission from the fighter from Liverpool, England in the third round, before Gaethje closed the show and left a swollen, bloody mess on his opponent’s face. That’s what MMA fans have always loved about Gaethje. He never has a bad fight, and will do a Hall of Fame backflip over the cage after deciding to hang up the gloves. Against Pimblett, he regularly tested his opponent’s chin with overhand rights. Pimblett deserves a lot of credit for maintaining his sanity throughout the fight, but it was Gaethje’s night.
He will likely be a significant underdog against Topuria, but that doesn’t diminish Gaethje’s encouraging performance on a night that once again ended with the gold around his waist. –hel
The win over Yadong is O’Malley’s second win in a month
Those keeping track will recall that O’Malley’s unanimous decision win over Yadong at UFC 324 had left him on a two-fight losing streak, including his only appearance of 2025. But the previous “Suga Sean” win I am referring to. He watched the December war from home — merab dvalishviliLost Men’s Bantamweight Championship petr yan At UFC 323. Dvalishvili was the man who had given O’Malley two consecutive losses, and it would have been difficult to get a third shot at him and the belt. Now, with Yan becoming champion, O’Malley is back in title contention, especially considering he owns the win over Yan.
However, O’Malley didn’t make the loudest championship statement. Not even a fellow contender Omar NurmagomedovWho dominated the former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo In the first card. Considering that Dvalishvili’s loss snapped a 14-fight winning streak and it was his fourth fight of 2025, it would be wise for the UFC to allow him to run back with Yan while O’Malley and Nurmagomedov pursue their candidacies. — Wagenheim
Cortes-Acosta should have our attention, but not our confidence yet
The title of this section probably sounds like an indirect compliment, but it’s not intended to be. Cortes-Acosta has now won eight of his last nine, which is extremely impressive in the UFC. He has also scored knockouts in his last three fights against legitimate competition, including Saturday when he went over the edge. derrick lewis And dropped him with a shot that looked to be thrown with about 5% effort.
He deserves a lot of credit for this huge hot streak, and there are some nuances to his game that make him as dangerous as any other veteran player. but the way they beat ante deliza The match was awkward and controversial after a face-off in November that initially looked like it was going to be a loss for Cortes-Acosta. And he’s less than six months away from defeat by Sergei Pavlovich.
Cortes-Acosta has a lot going for him. He is one of the few legitimate heavyweight title contenders and is constantly building momentum with his willingness to fight. but against the choice of Tom Aspinall, Cyril Gane And in his eyes other contenders, such as curtis blades And Alexander VolkovUntil he proves he can win at the top level, he will be considered an underdog. –Okamoto
Silva must leapfrog Fiorot to reach Shevchenko
Natalia Silva was not happy with her UFC 324 performance, and the T-Mobile Arena crowd criticized the judges’ decision, but was beaten Rose Namajunas An important step forward for the 28-year-old.
For one thing, it extended Silva’s win streak to 14 fights and made him 8-0 in the UFC. Adding significance, Namajunas has defeated former UFC champion Silva for the third consecutive time jessica andrade in 2024 and Alexa Grasso Last year. That golden run could give Silva a chance to become the reigning women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Timing is everything, and considering that a flyweight is ahead of Silva, manon fiorotHaving lost to Shevchenko in May, it appears Silva has a clear path forward. If he gets the chance to challenge the champion, Silva’s hit-and-move style could make the fight look like Shevchenko’s dominant win over Fiorote. But if Silva has earned it, he deserves the opportunity. — Wagenheim
