MMA Betting Picks

Mixed martial arts continues to develop into one of the world’s most important combat sports, and the final months of 2026 provide another packed schedule for fans.

For most fight fans, the UFC remains synonymous with elite-level mixed martial arts. The promotion's roster contains many of the world's leading fighters, and its schedule combines major numbered events with weekly Fight Night cards staged across North America and an expanding list of international markets.

That global strategy is particularly evident during the remainder of 2026. The UFC heads to Los Angeles for UFC 331 on September 19, where Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van meet for a second time. October then brings an exceptionally busy run, including events in Salt Lake City and Edmonton before Alexander Volkanovski faces Movsar Evloev in Abu Dhabi on October 24.

The promotion is also returning to Qatar on November 21 following its successful debut in Doha in 2025. The second UFC Qatar event will take place at the ABHA Arena, further demonstrating the organisation's growing focus on the Middle East.

One of the most significant changes, however, concerns how supporters watch the action. The UFC's move to Paramount+ in the United States has created a new era for the promotion, moving away from the traditional pay-per-view model that had defined its biggest events for years. That has the potential to make major UFC cards more accessible while giving the organisation another platform from which to grow its audience.

Whatever changes around it, the central attraction remains the same: putting the world's leading MMA fighters inside the Octagon and determining who sits at the top of each division.

If the UFC is the established market leader, the Professional Fighters League, aka PFL, has spent recent years attempting to establish itself as a genuine alternative. The PFL's development has included international expansion and the acquisition of Bellator, giving the organisation access to a significantly deeper pool of established MMA talent.

Its 2026 calendar continues that international approach. October features events in Riyadh, Casablanca and Chicago before the promotion heads to Dubai on November 14. PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov will defend his title against Sergei Bilostenniy at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena.

There is then another important event in Lyon on December 19, where French star Taylor Lapilus faces unbeaten American Mitch McKee for the inaugural PFL bantamweight world championship.

The PFL's challenge has always been converting a strong collection of individual fighters into a promotion that fans follow consistently. MMA supporters will tune in for a compelling fight regardless of the initials attached to the cage. Building loyalty to the promotion itself is more difficult, particularly when competing against the UFC's enormous brand recognition.

The talent is there. The question is how effectively the PFL can turn it into must-watch events.

ONE Championship occupies a different position in the combat-sports market. Rather than concentrating exclusively on MMA, ONE cards can feature mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, kickboxing and submission grappling, allowing the promotion to build events around multiple disciplines. That makes ONE particularly interesting for fans whose interest extends beyond conventional MMA.

The organisation announced an ambitious schedule of 72 events for 2026, incorporating its flagship shows, ONE Fight Night events and the regular ONE Friday Fights series from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Japan has become another important market. The launch of the ONE Samurai series introduced monthly Japanese events featuring MMA alongside Muay Thai, kickboxing and grappling, with the promotion committing to 60 ONE Samurai events across five years.

ONE has also strengthened its distribution in China through a partnership with China Mobile's Migu covering at least 60 live events annually.

For supporters accustomed to the UFC format, ONE can feel markedly different. That is precisely the point. Instead of attempting to become another UFC, ONE has built an identity around martial arts more broadly. A high-level MMA fight can be followed by elite Muay Thai or kickboxing, giving its biggest cards a variety that conventional MMA promotions cannot easily reproduce.

The calendar can change quickly, but several notable events are scheduled between September and the end of 2026:

With additional UFC and ONE cards also expected throughout the period, there should be little shortage of high-level combat sports before the year is finished.

MMA is not the only alternative combat sport enjoying increased attention. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, aka BKFC, has turned bare-knuckle fighting into an increasingly prominent part of the modern combat-sports landscape.

BKFC promotes regulated bare-knuckle contests and has increasingly targeted recognisable fighters from the worlds of MMA and boxing. That crossover appeal has helped the organisation reach an audience well beyond traditional bare-knuckle enthusiasts.

Its ownership group has also provided considerable publicity, with former UFC superstar Conor McGregor becoming a part-owner of the promotion.

One of BKFC's biggest remaining events of 2026 takes place in Britain. Darren Till faces Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 in Manchester on September 26, bringing together two fighters who made their names elsewhere in combat sports. The same card features David Mundell defending his middleweight championship against Jack Cullen.

BKFC's schedule then includes events in Australia and the United States before a major show at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on November 7 and a return to the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on December 11.

Heavyweight Leonardo Perdomo is another name worth following. The unbeaten Cuban has developed a reputation as one of BKFC's most destructive finishers and is already scheduled to challenge former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in February 2027.

BKFC is unlikely to displace conventional boxing or MMA, but it does not necessarily need to. Its combination of short, aggressive fights and recognisable crossover names gives it a clear position in an increasingly crowded combat-sports market.