Breakthrough fighters from first half of 2026: Gaethje leads standouts

Now that we now have reached the midway level of 2026, and with 21 UFC occasions within the books by the primary six months of the 12 months, it’s a good time to look again at which fighters have seen the largest breakthroughs.

We’ve seen some wonderful moments in some unimaginable places, with tons of highlight-reel knockouts and slick submissions.

From Canada to Australia to Las Vegas to China all the best way to the White House, it has been an unimaginable six months of fights everywhere in the world.

There’s every week between occasions earlier than the second half of the schedule begins July 11 for UFC 329 and the return of Conor McGregor, so let’s look again over the previous six months to spotlight among the standout performers.

Here are 10 breakthrough fighters from the primary half of 2026.

Despite being almost a decade into his UFC profession, you completely must put Gaethje as the highest breakout fighter of the 12 months up to now. At UFC 324 in January, Gaethje pulled off a minor upset when he defeated Paddy Pimblett to seize an interim UFC light-weight title. That arrange Gaethje with an unimaginable alternative as he was booked in opposition to the opposite light-weight champion, Ilia Topuria, in the primary occasion of UFC Freedom 250 on the White House.

Gaethje entered the bout as an enormous underdog, with only a few folks giving him an opportunity to win the struggle in opposition to the undefeated Topuria, however Gaethje pulled off one of the vital monumental upsets of all time when he beat down Topuria for 4 rounds earlier than the Spanish-Georgian star’s nook threw within the towel and stopped the struggle.

The win over Topuria on the White House garden catapulted Gaethje into true superstardom, with the American defeating a foreigner on his dwelling soil, and everyone seems to be speaking about him nowadays. MMA followers knew for years that Gaethje was one of the vital thrilling fighters within the sport’s historical past, however now the entire world is aware of after what he did on the grandest stage ever. And for that, he’s the highest breakthrough fighter from the primary half of 2026.

Is there anybody who has generated extra headlines, good or unhealthy, in 2026 than the heavyweight? The former NFL observe squad participant for the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals made the transition to MMA in 2023 after his soccer profession ended. He received his first 5 fights earlier than getting a shot on Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2025, the place he picked up a TKO win to earn a UFC contract.

The UFC turned Hokit round shortly, and he beat Max Gimenis in November 2025 to get his first win. He then knocked out Denzel Freeman at UFC 324 in January. With the UFC in search of recent heavyweight contenders, Hokit was matched up in opposition to veteran contender Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April. In what was arguably the Fight of the Year, Hokit defeated Blaydes for by far the largest win of his MMA profession, incomes two bonuses for Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night, and drawing rave evaluations from UFC president Dana White and United States President Donald Trump, who have been each cageside that evening in Florida.

Immediately after the struggle was over, Trump requested White why Derrick Lewis – Trump’s favorite UFC fighter – was not on the UFC White House card. White instantly spoke to UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, who referred to as Hokit whereas he was being transported to a Miami-area hospital after the warfare with Blaydes, asking him if he may struggle Lewis in June. Hokit stated sure.

At UFC Freedom 250, Hokit knocked out Lewis to enhance to 4-0 within the UFC with three finishes, and inch one step nearer to a heavyweight title shot. Unfortunately for Hokit, his mouth received him in bother, as his post-fight speech was closely criticized for the disparaging feedback he made.

You may not like Hokit’s schtick – even Dana White has admitted he’s not a fan of the best way Hokit conducts himself in his interviews – however you can’t doubt that this man is aware of easy methods to struggle.

He is among the greatest stars within the UFC proper now, and with yet another win, he shall be preventing for the UFC heavyweight title in 2027 in opposition to the winner of the presumed upcoming heavyweight title unification bout between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane.

At UFC Mexico City in February, England’s Lone’er Kavanagh confirmed the MMA world why he is among the greatest flyweights on this planet when he beat down former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno over 25 minutes in the primary occasion. Given Kavanagh had been knocked out by Charles Johnson in his earlier struggle, the truth that he not solely defeated Moreno, however received each spherical of a five-round struggle, was one thing few noticed coming. We all knew that Kavanagh was gifted, however this efficiency was past spectacular, as he laid waste to Moreno on the ft and made the long run UFC Hall of Famer appear like an beginner.

At simply 27 years of age, Kavanagh is among the high flyweights within the sport, and he’s proper smack dab in the midst of his prime. Kavanagh battles Brandon Royval at UFC 329, and if he wins that struggle, he’ll be proper there in line for a future title shot.

In February 2024, middleweight Pyfer earned his first UFC most important occasion alternative, however he blew it when Jack Hermansson beat him by choice. Since then, Pyfer has been on a roll, profitable 4 fights in a row, together with a TKO win over former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Seattle in March. That was Pyfer’s second likelihood at a UFC most important occasion, and he made good for it with the largest win of his profession to this point.

We all know Dana White loves Pyfer – in any case, who can neglect White’s notorious “Be like Joe Pyfer” speech in 2022 – so search for him to get a top-five opponent in his subsequent struggle, as he would possibly solely be one win away from preventing for the belt.

Australia’s Quillan Salkilld has had a real breakout up to now in 2026, as he’s now ranked within the high 10 at 155 kilos after knocking out revered veteran Beneil Dariush in his final bout at UFC Perth in May. Salkilld is simply 26, and he has received 12 straight fights since shedding his professional debut in 2021. He is 5-0 up to now within the UFC with 4 finishes, together with going 2-0 in 2026 with the aforementioned win over Dariush plus a submission win over Jamie Mullarkey.

Given Salkilld is presently ranked No. 8 within the UFC light-weight division, don’t be shocked if he fights somebody similar to Mateusz Gamrot in his subsequent struggle, the No. 6-ranked light-weight whom Salkilld has referred to as out.

Serbia’s Uros Medic punched his ticket into the UFC’s welterweight rankings when he knocked out veteran striker Geoff Neal in a brutal style at UFC Houston in February. It was Medic’s third straight knockout win contained in the Octagon, and by beating Neal, it set Medic up with a tremendous alternative.

On Aug. 1, Medic headlines the UFC’s first card in his native Serbia when he battles top-15-ranked Daniel Rodriguez in what needs to be a completely wonderful struggle between two welterweight strikers. Should Medic beat Rodriguez in his dwelling nation, search for the UFC to offer him a top-10 opponent subsequent as he continues to work his manner up the 170-pound ladder.

A standout on Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series final summer season, it has been an distinctive begin to Marwan Rakhiki’s UFC profession in 2026. So far this 12 months, the 24-year-old from Morocco, who fights out of Australia, is 2-0 with stoppage wins over Harry Hardwick and Ollie Schmid. He is 9-0 in his MMA profession with 9 knockout wins, and if he continues to ship thrilling fights as he has, he’ll shortly turn into a fan favorite and get extra thrilling matchups from the UFC matchmakers booked.

We even have to offer a shoutout to the Canadian, who jumped into the highest 15 of the UFC welterweight rankings when he beat Gilbert Burns in the primary occasion of UFC Winnipeg in April. That was Malott’s fourth straight win, and it improved his UFC document to 7-1 general. Beating Burns is an enormous deal, as “Durinho” was the gatekeeper to the highest of the welterweight division earlier than he retired after shedding to Malott. Look for “Proper” to struggle as soon as extra in 2026, probably headlining one other UFC Fight Night card in Canada earlier than the 12 months is up if the UFC returns up north, in opposition to somebody ranked within the high 10.

The UFC heavyweight division has a number of thrilling prospects nowadays, and considered one of them is “The Balkan Bear” Brandon Pericic. The 31-year-old Australian is a teammate of UFC legend Israel Adesanya and Co. at City Kickboxing, and like his well-known coaching accomplice, Pericic is a real knockout artist. Since becoming a member of the UFC final 12 months, Pericic is 3-0 within the Octagon, together with 2-0 up to now in 2026 with knockout wins over Louie Sutherland and Shamil Gaziev. He’s now ranked within the high 15 at heavyweight, and he’s poised to get a tricky opponent in his subsequent bout. Look for the UFC to ebook Pericic in opposition to somebody extremely ranked on a numbered card earlier than the 12 months is up. Depending on how shortly that struggle ends, Pericic may struggle two extra instances in 2026.

At girls’s bantamweight, no fighter has made an even bigger stand up the rankings than Edwards, the UFC’s solely fighter from Panama. Edwards has received 5 straight fights, and he or she’s 2-0 up to now in 2026 with wins over Nora Cornolle and Norma Dumont. She can be one of many high finishers within the girls’s weight courses, as she’s stopped opponents in 4 of her final 5 bouts.

“La Pantera” is presently ranked No. 1 within the UFC girls’s bantamweight division, and she’s going to probably struggle the winner of the upcoming UFC girls’s bantamweight title struggle between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes both later this 12 months or in 2027. Regardless of when that’s, there isn’t any doubt that Edwards is preventing for a title subsequent, given how spectacular she has been contained in the Octagon the previous couple of years.