2026 Midyear MMA Awards: Gaethje's year, major turnarounds and fights that have already entered the debate about the best
The midyear awards in the world of MMA for 2026 offered a rarely unified answer to the question of who defined the first six months of the season. Justin Gaethje, a lightweight veteran and one of the most recognizable fighters of the modern UFC, stood out according to ESPN's and MMA Fighting's selections as the central name of the year after two victories that completely changed the picture of one of the strongest divisions in the sport. First, on January 24 at UFC 324 in Las Vegas, he defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision and won the interim lightweight title, and then on June 14 at UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, he stopped Ilia Topuria after the fourth round and claimed the undisputed UFC title.
Such a run in the first half of the year is strong enough in itself, but its importance is greater because of the context in which it happened. At 37, Gaethje reached the moment that had long eluded him: the status of undisputed UFC champion. According to the official UFC report, the fight against Topuria ended by technical knockout after the then-champion did not continue the bout after the fourth round. ESPN noted after the event that, with the victory over Topuria, Gaethje also entered the ranking of the best fighters in the world regardless of weight class, giving his success a broader significance than just a change of belt holder.
Gaethje as the clearest symbol of the first half of the season
In ESPN's panel selection for the first half of 2026, Gaethje received unanimous support in the category of best male fighter, and the same logic appeared in MMA Fighting's assessment, which named him the fighter of the midyear. These selections are not merely recognition for one great victory, but for the path from interim champion to undisputed champion in a period of less than five months. The win over Pimblett secured him the position of top contender and a unification bout, while the win over Topuria changed the tone of the debate about his career: from the story of an exciting fighter who had never won the biggest belt to the story of a champion who reached the top late, but convincingly.
According to the official UFC report from UFC 324, Gaethje defeated Pimblett by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. That fight was important because it confirmed that Gaethje, despite years spent in exceptionally demanding bouts, could still withstand a high pace over five rounds while maintaining enough technical discipline. Several months later, against Topuria, it was not only about endurance but also about the ability to take control of a fight against a younger, previously unbeaten champion who carried the aura of an almost unstoppable fighter in the lightweight division.
MMA Fighting emphasized precisely the dramatic change in the perception of Gaethje's career in explaining its choice. After the loss to Max Holloway in 2024, part of the public believed that his path toward the undisputed belt was practically closed, but 2026 brought a completely different picture. With the win over Pimblett, Gaethje reopened the door to the title, and his performance against Topuria turned that comeback into one of the strongest individual stories of the year. In a sport in which a fighter's status often changes after just one night, Gaethje connected two nights in the first six months of 2026 that together form a rare narrative arc.
Topuria's defeat and new questions in the lightweight division
Ilia Topuria entered the bout with Gaethje as a fighter whose career until then had been marked by a perfect record and major victories. According to ESPN's report on the fight, Topuria dropped in the ranking of the best fighters regardless of weight class after the defeat, while Gaethje appeared in that company for the first time as UFC lightweight champion. Such an outcome does not mean that Topuria lost relevance, but it significantly changed the distribution of power in the division. By midyear, the question was no longer when Topuria would confirm his dominance in the new division, but how he would react to his first defeat and whether he would immediately seek a return toward the title.
For the UFC, Gaethje's victory opened several possible directions. One is a rematch with Topuria, especially if the former champion returns quickly and remains high in the contender rankings. Another is a new challenger from the group of fighters already near the top of the lightweight division, depending on results in the second half of the year. The third is a commercially attractive scenario tied to names that generate major audience interest, but such possibilities currently depend on the schedule, the fighters' health and the promotion's decisions. What has been officially confirmed is the result: Gaethje took the undisputed belt in mid-June, and the rest of the year began with him as the man everyone in the division must wait for or challenge.
An important element of that story is also the way Gaethje reached the top. He did not win the belt as an unstoppable favorite, but as a fighter who had to overcome doubts about his age, the wear of his career and previous failed attempts to win the undisputed title. That is exactly why the midyear awards are not just a sporting balance sheet of results. They are also recognition of a career that had long been defined by excitement and risk, and has now received formal confirmation through the most important belt in the world's strongest MMA organization.
UFC 327 as the event that raised the bar
Although Gaethje was the most prominent individual name, the first half of 2026 was not only about him. ESPN singled out UFC 327, held on April 11 at Kaseya Center in Miami, in its selection for the best event of the first six months. According to the official UFC event page, the main fight brought Carlos Ulberg's knockout of Jiří Procházka in the first round, while in the heavyweight division Josh Hokit defeated Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision after three rounds. Those two bouts became the central argument for why UFC 327 began to be mentioned as one of the most complete events of the season.
Ulberg's knockout of Procházka resonated especially strongly because of the circumstances in which it happened. ESPN reported that Ulberg looked seriously compromised by a leg injury during the fight, but still managed to land the decisive strike and win the light heavyweight title. The official UFC record states that the finish came after 3 minutes and 45 seconds of the first round. In the context of the midyear awards, that moment naturally entered the debate about the best knockout and the biggest comeback, because it combined injury, a shift in rhythm and a finish that changed the champion.
Hokit's victory over Blaydes offered a different kind of spectacle. According to ESPN and CBS Sports, it was an extremely intense heavyweight fight that lasted the full 15 minutes and ended with Hokit's unanimous decision victory. ESPN emphasized that the bout left a strong impression because of the exceptionally high volume of significant strikes and the durability of both fighters, while Blaydes' team later told ESPN that the fighter had suffered a fractured orbital bone and nose. Such information further explains why the duel immediately appeared in discussions about fight of the year, even outside the standard circle of title bouts.
Ulberg's rise and uncertainty in the light heavyweight division
Carlos Ulberg became one of the biggest names of the first half of the year with his victory over Procházka, but his story also carries a layer of uncertainty. MMA Fighting placed him immediately behind Gaethje on its list of midyear fighters, with a note that the severity of his knee injury could limit his activity through the end of 2026. If that forecast proves correct, the light heavyweight division could enter the second half of the season with a champion who achieved one of the most dramatic rises of the year, but perhaps will not be able to defend the belt quickly.
For a division that has often changed at the top in recent years, Ulberg's arrival on the throne has multiple meanings. The victory over former champion Procházka gave him legitimacy against elite competition, but the injury opened the question of the pace at which the division will continue to develop. In such circumstances, promotions often have to balance waiting for the champion, organizing contender fights and a possible interim solution if the recovery drags on. At present, according to the available information, the firmest confirmed fact is the result from UFC 327 itself: Ulberg won the title by knockout in the first round, and his performance remained one of the most frequently highlighted moments of the midyear awards.
Asu Almabayev's rare submission victory
The first half of the year also brought one of the most striking grappling finishes. Asu Almabayev defeated Charles Johnson by Suloev stretch submission in the third round on June 27 at the UFC event in Baku. According to the official UFC scorecards, the finish came after 3 minutes and 33 seconds of the third round, and the UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Torres event was held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. That detail is important because it is a technique that appears very rarely in the UFC, so Almabayev's victory immediately gained additional weight in the selections for best submission.
MMA News reported that it was only the fourth Suloev stretch finish in UFC history. Such rarity gives Almabayev's performance special value because submissions in midyear awards often depend not only on the importance of the fight, but also on the technical unusualness of the finish. According to the UFC's review of the event in Baku, Almabayev reached his 24th professional victory and his seventh win in eight UFC appearances with that victory. That further strengthened his position in the flyweight division, but also served as a reminder that, in a year marked by major title fights, space for recognition can also open through specific technical brilliance.
In the broader context, Almabayev's moment shows why midyear reviews are not just lists of the biggest stars. MMA is a sport in which one rare hold, one precise transition or one mistake on the ground can turn a fight on a smaller event into a candidate for an annual award. That is precisely why, alongside Gaethje's major victories, Ulberg's knockout and the Hokit-Blaydes heavyweight war, a submission from Baku also found its place. It does not carry the same commercial reach as a UFC lightweight title fight, but it carries the technical uniqueness that midyear awards seek to recognize.
Strickland, Van and Grasso further expanded the picture of the year
Alongside the fighters highlighted in the original midyear awards, the broader picture of the first half of 2026 includes several more important results. Sean Strickland, according to the official UFC report from UFC 328, defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision on May 9 in Newark and again became UFC middleweight champion. That victory carried additional weight because it handed Chimaev his first professional defeat and returned the middleweight division to a state of open questions around a possible rematch and the next challengers. MMA Fighting therefore included Strickland among the leading names of the midyear, alongside Gaethje, Ulberg and Hokit.
At the same event, Joshua Van defended the flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira. According to the official UFC scorecards, Van won by technical knockout after 1 minute and 32 seconds of the fifth round. MMA Fighting placed that duel among the most prominent fights of the midyear, immediately behind the two fights that shared the top spot in its selection. The flyweight division thereby received one of its most important nights of 2026, and Van strengthened his status as a champion who can survive difficult moments and finish a fight in the late phase of a bout.
In the women's competition, ESPN singled out Alexa Grasso among the most important names of the first half of the year. According to the UFC's official video record and reports after the event in Seattle, Grasso defeated Maycee Barber by submission in the first round on March 28. That result was important because of her return after a period without a win and because Barber entered the bout on a long winning streak. In a year in which men's title fights drew the most attention, Grasso reminded everyone that the dynamics of the women's divisions can also change with one dominant performance.
The second half of the year begins with high expectations
The 2026 midyear MMA awards therefore do not look like a routine statistical inventory, but like a cross-section of a season in which turnarounds that are often awaited until December have already happened. Gaethje went from interim champion to undisputed lightweight champion. Ulberg won the light heavyweight belt by knockout at a moment when the fight seemed to be slipping away from him. Hokit and Blaydes produced a heavyweight duel that, according to multiple relevant reports, immediately entered the conversation about fight of the year. Almabayev performed one of the rarest submissions in UFC history in Baku.
Such a concentration of major moments sets a high bar for the rest of the year, but at the same time leaves enough open stories. The lightweight division must answer the question of who is Justin Gaethje's first challenger. The light heavyweight division awaits a clearer picture of Ulberg's health status and title-defense plan. The heavyweight division gained a new face in Hokit, while the middleweight and flyweight divisions, after the results at UFC 328, have their own tensions around possible rematches and the next challengers. If the second half of 2026 continues at the same pace, the final year-end awards could be considerably more uncertain than they seemed after Gaethje's June rise to the top.
Sources:
- ESPN – midyear selection of the best MMA moments of 2026 and panel voting results (link)
- MMA Fighting – fighter of the midyear selection and the context of Gaethje's rise, Ulberg's knockout, Strickland's victory and Hokit's run (link)
- MMA Fighting – fight of the midyear selection and comparison of the Gaethje - Topuria, Hokit - Blaydes and Van - Taira bouts (link)
- UFC – official results and report from the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington (link)
- UFC – official results of the UFC 324 main card and Justin Gaethje's victory over Paddy Pimblett (link)
- UFC – official UFC 327 event page with results of the Procházka - Ulberg and Blaydes - Hokit fights (link)
- CBS Sports – report on Josh Hokit's victory over Curtis Blaydes and the fight's status as a fight-of-the-year candidate (link)
- UFC – official scorecards from UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Torres in Baku, including Asu Almabayev's victory (link)
- UFC – official UFC 328 results, including Sean Strickland's and Joshua Van's victories (link)
- MMA News – explanation of the rarity of the Suloev stretch submission in the UFC after Asu Almabayev's victory (link)