The first UFC occasion of 2026 on Saturday introduced the motion we have missed through the six-week break. The interim light-weight matchup between two of the hardest fighters in MMA in some way went the space after 5 bloody rounds. Justin Gaethje earned each little bit of his unanimous resolution victory over Paddy Pimblett and took residence a second profession interim belt. The win probably units up a unification bout with champion Ilia Topuria within the spring.
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Sean O’Malley returned to his profitable methods in opposition to Song Yadong after practically two years with out an Octagon victory. The aid on O’Malley’s face after his arm was raised was clear, and with a acquainted O’Malley foe again in charge of the boys’s bantamweight division, possibly a path again to the title image is in view for “Suga.”
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim give their takeaways on these bouts and the performances of Natalia Silva and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who may additionally have championship alternatives of their futures.
Gaethje ain’t completed but
Rumors of Gaethje’s demise had been drastically exaggerated. Although Gaethje has overtly mentioned closing in on the ultimate chapter of his wonderful preventing profession, “The Highlight” confirmed in opposition to Pimblett that he has gasoline left within the tank. After Gaethje misplaced by a brutal knockout to Max Holloway, the expectation was that his violent preventing model had lastly caught up with him and brought too a few years off his profession.
While that is perhaps true to a diploma, it isn’t fairly over for Gaethje, who’s now in line for a unification battle with Topuria, who’s on a self-imposed hiatus from MMA.
What we noticed from Gaethje was a violent, offensive outing that just about proved flawed Pimblett’s proclamation that “scousers don’t get knocked out.” Gaethje practically completed Pimblett within the first and second rounds, then endured a surge from the fighter from Liverpool, England, within the third spherical earlier than Gaethje closed the show and left his opponent’s face a swollen, bloody mess. That’s what MMA followers have all the time liked about Gaethje. He by no means has a dangerous battle, and he’ll backflip off the highest of the cage into the Hall of Fame after he decides to grasp up the gloves. Against Pimblett, he routinely examined his opponent’s chin with overhand rights. Pimblett deserves a ton of credit score for sustaining his consciousness all through the battle, however this was Gaethje’s evening.
He’ll probably be a important underdog in opposition to Topuria, however that does not take away from Gaethje’s exhilarating efficiency on a evening that after once more ended with gold wrapped round his waist. — Hale
The win over Yadong is O’Malley’s second victory in a month
Sean O’Malley is again to his profitable methods after defeating Song Yadong at UFC 324. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Those who’ve been maintaining will do not forget that O’Malley got here into his unanimous resolution win over Yadong at UFC 324 having misplaced two fights in a row, together with his solely look of 2025. But the earlier “Suga Sean” victory I’m referring to is a December battle he watched from residence — Merab Dvalishvili’s males’s bantamweight championship loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323. Dvalishvili was the one who had handed O’Malley his two straight losses, and getting a third shot at him and the belt would have been troublesome. Now, with Yan as champion, O’Malley is again in title competition, particularly contemplating that he owns a win over Yan.
O’Malley did not take advantage of emphatic championship assertion, although. Neither did fellow contender Umar Nurmagomedov, who dominated former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo earlier within the card. Considering that Dvalishvili’s loss broke a 14-fight profitable streak and was his fourth battle of 2025, the UFC can be smart to let him run it again with Yan whereas O’Malley and Nurmagomedov proceed to marinate their candidacy. — Wagenheim
Cortes-Acosta ought to have our consideration, however not but our confidence
The headline for this part in all probability feels like a backhanded praise, however it’s not meant to be. Waldo Cortes-Acosta has now gained eight of his previous 9, which is wildly spectacular within the UFC. He additionally has knockouts in his previous three bouts in opposition to legit competitors, together with Saturday, when he stepped simply out of vary of Derrick Lewis and dropped him with a shot that appeared to be thrown with about 5% effort.
He deserves a ton of credit score for this huge sizzling streak, and there are little nuances to his recreation that make him as harmful as any heavyweight. But the way in which he defeated Ante Delija in November was unusual and controversial, following an eye fixed poke that originally appeared prefer it was going to be a loss for Cortes-Acosta. And he’s lower than six months away from the loss to Sergei Pavlovich.
Cortes-Acosta has a lot going for himself. He’s one of many few respectable heavyweight title contenders and is constructing momentum along with his willingness to battle so incessantly.
But with Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and different contenders in his sights, Cortes-Acosta can be thought of an underdog till he proves he can win on the high degree. — Okamoto
Silva ought to leapfrog Fiorot to get to Shevchenko
Natalia Silva, proper, defeated her third former champion when she outpointed Rose Namajunas at UFC 324. Ian Maule/Getty Images
Natalia Silva was not happy along with her UFC 324 efficiency, and the gang at T-Mobile Arena booed the judges’ resolution, however beating Rose Namajunas is a important step ahead for the 28-year-old.
For one factor, it ran Silva’s profitable streak to 14 fights and made her 8-0 within the UFC. Adding significance, Namajunas was the third consecutive former UFC champion Silva has defeated after Jessica Andrade in 2024 and Alexa Grasso final 12 months. That golden run might earn Silva a shot on the ladies’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Timing is all the things, and contemplating that the one flyweight ranked forward of Silva, Manon Fiorot, misplaced to Shevchenko in May, it seems Silva has a clear path. If she does get to problem the champion, Silva’s hit-and-move model might make the battle look very similar to Shevchenko’s dominant win over Fiorot. But if Silva has earned it, she ought to get the chance. — Wagenheim
