UFC 2026 Storylines - Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett fighting for title, UFC at the White House, Tom Aspinall's eyes and more
Published 02/01/2026 at 14:14 GMT
Another big year for the UFC has arrived, with the date at the White House in June surely to be one of the most iconic events in the company's history. British fighters loom large with Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett challenging for the lightweight title, while fans will be hoping heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall's eyes allow him to fight again. We look at these and the other big stories of 2026.
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Could The Baddy be Britain’s fourth UFC champ?
Things could not have really worked out better in Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett’s quest to emulate Michael Bisping, Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall.
To fight Justin Gaethje on January 24 for the vacant title - after Ilia Topuria relinquished the belt to take time out for personal reasons - is a dream match-up at UFC 324. Gaethje is an iconic opponent, but an ageing one, who fights sparingly, and who Pimblett will expect to beat.
To put things in perspective, Pimblett is a 1/2 favourite with some bookmakers to win this fight, giving him an implied 66% chance of winning. If he were facing Topuria, and the two engaged in a memorable face-to-face after the Georgia-born fighter's victory over Charles Oliveira, he would likely be approaching 4/1 or a 20% chance.
If it had been Islam Makhachev - who relinquished the title in June 2025 - Pimblett might have been even less favoured.
Pimblett may occasionally hit the headlines with incendiary statements, but one thing he has consistently done is deliver in the Octagon, with his last two bouts earning consecutive Fight of the Night awards, against King Green and Michael Chandler.
Whatever the case, a Pimblett win would give Britain a champion with a huge personality and undoubtedly boost the popularity of the sport further in the UK.
And it would set up a huge all-European clash with former unbeaten champion, Spain-based Topuria, in the summer.
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Topuria calls out and then shoves Pimblett in tense face to face - 'Look at me'
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UFC White House - June 2026
Like it or not, there promises to be no more spectacular sporting venue this year than the White House in June.
The logistics of building a 4000-capacity venue will cost up to $1 million, according to Dana White, but as an investment in advertising the sport, it surely will be worth this many times over.
Set to coincide with Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations, despite the efforts of Gianni Infantino, the build-up and event itself has the potential to overshadow the beginning of the FIFA World Cup in America with the weigh-in taking place at the Lincoln Memorial.
And if you thought the event could not get any bigger, arguably the sport’s most famous star, Conor McGregor, will likely make his return after almost five years out of the Octagon.
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Conor McGregor could return to the Octagon after a five-year absence
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McGregor has said he wants to fight Islam Makhachev to have the opportunity to become the first-ever three-division UFC champion.
The bare facts are that it will be nearly a decade since McGregor won a championship fight by the summer, and Michael Chandler has emerged as the Irishman's most likely opponent.
That said, with it being a particularly special occasion, you could imagine a bout against Makhachev happening - as a President’s birthday present pick, perhaps.
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Tom Aspinall’s eyes
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Tom Aspinall suffered an eye injury fighting against Ciryl Gane
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After showing incredible patience to wait over a year to fight for the regular heavyweight title, while Jon Jones vacillated about whether to fight the Englishman, Tom Aspinall could not have imagined a worse outcome when he went into the Octagon to face Cyril Gane.
A quick knockout could have been something he bounced back from - it happens in combat sports - but to have his eyes poked and his vision still impaired two months later, leaves a real question mark about whether he can return to the sport.
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Watch moment Gane double eye poke on Aspinall leads to no contest
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The friction after Dana White’s post-fight comments appears to be relenting and there remains some hope that Aspinall can contest the title again, perhaps after Gane takes on Alexander Volkov for a vacant or interim title.
Given the move towards high-profile events, it would not be surprising to see Alex Pereira fighting for the heavyweight title, a more likely prospect to become the UFC’s inaugural three-time champion.
Machado Garry fighting for welterweight title
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Ian Machado Garry could get a shot at the welterweight title
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'The Future' could well get the opportunity to fight for the UFC welterweight crown in 2026, giving Ireland the chance of having their second champion.
Bouncing back from his defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov, partly due to the Kazakh's inactivity, victories over Carlos Prates and especially Belal Muhammad have left him with a good claim to be the next one in line to fight for the title.
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Highlights: Machado Garry claims unanimous points victory over Muhammad
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That said, he will have the opposite experience to Pimblett, with Makhachev in the other corner.
Makhachev may not have the most fan-friendly style, though neither does Ian Machado Garry in truth, but the way he dominated Jack Della Maddalena with his superior wrestling to run away with a 50-45 victory on all three judges' scorecards was certainly impressive.
In combat sports, some consider the build-up to fights as equally, if not more, important than the fight itself and in this regard, Ireland's second-biggest motormouth will bring the noise to make it a big event - if, and more likely when, he gets to stand across from the pound-for-pound No. 1.
Will Scotland have their first contender?
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Chris Duncan defeated Terrance McKinney at UFC 323
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Scotland has a proud history in boxing dating back to the legendary Benny Lynch in the 1930s, to Ken Buchanan, a man Roberto Duran rated as his toughest opponent, while Jim Watt, Scott Harrison and Ricky Burns were all respected world champions.
Despite Paul Craig's efforts, recording nine wins in the UFC, the nation is yet to produce a fighter who could challenge for the title in the Octagon.
The UFC has not held a night in Scotland since 2017, but this could well change after Chris Duncan's fantastic 2025 as he looks to work his way through the top contenders, and the story of his tough rise to prominence in the sport has got its deserved traction at home.
Duncan has certainly earned great respect within the sport after choking out Jordan Vucenic at London's Fight Night in March, following that up by putting on two great displays in UFC's home of Las Vegas, beating Mateusz Rebecki in the Fight of the Night in August, then resisting an early barrage to submit Terrance McKinney at UFC 323.
Craig peaked at No. 9 in the light-heavyweight rankings, after earlier being a top-15 middleweight, but compatriot Duncan could well be closer than that to a title shot if he continues his upward trajectory this year.
Watch Tom Aspinall: Road to Undisputed on TNT Sports and discovery+
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