It looks Paulo Costa may already have his next fight all lined up even after reportedly withdrawing from UFC 326.

UFC Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev understands fight politics. Indeed, it took six years and 10 consecutive victories to finally score Makhachev his first opportunity at gold. That’s an unusually long streak before a title shot,

Of the 11 current UFC men's and women's champions, four were titleholders at the start of the year. Two others began 2025 as former champions, and another was in the second year of an interim championship reign.

The 2025 Fighter of the Year conversation was a no-brainer in its closing months. Merab Dvalishvili was on a trajectory to make his case open and shut. Petr Yan had other intentions. He upset Dvalishvili to win the UFC bantamweight title, causing a commotion among CBS Sports' panelists.

After Lerone Murphy missed out on a title shot when the UFC controversially chose Diego Lopes to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, ‘The Miracle’ could be looking to cement an opportunity by defeating another overlooked contender, Movsar Evloev.

The UFC Paramount deal will be taking effect in 2026, and Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier claims fighters have already gotten a bump in pay.

Darren Till had a few scathing words for former UFC title challenger Paulo Costa after pulling out of UFC 326.