MMA Fighting’s UFC Fantasy League is back for Season 4!
2026 is about to kick off, which means it’s time to get drafting. If you’re new here, for the past couple of years, every six months we do a UFC fantasy
league, drafting 12 fighters across the 11 UFC weight classes in the hopes of claiming victory of our fellow MMA Fighting staffers.
Last season, was a down-to-the-wire battle for nearly everyone, with Mike Heck edging out a victory over Damon Martin when Petr Yan upset Merab Dvalishvili. Heck managed to win the league despite five of his fighters not even competing, primarily thanks to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Petr Yan, and Ateba Gautier, who each fought and won a bunch. On the other side of things, Jed Meshew had all of his fighters compete, but they simply would not stop losing, putting him dead last and wearing the cone of shame.
But as the great Mike Ditka once said, the past is for cowards. We’re not here to focus on what has happened, but what will happen.
A quick reminder: unlike most MMA fantasy leagues, this is not a daily fantasy league. Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, Guilherme Cruz, Jed Meshew, Mike Heck, and José Youngs draft teams of 12 fighters — one in each of the major weight classes and one wild card — with each fighter earning points for their team based on the scoring criteria below. Season 4 will run through the UFC White House event, where we’ll crown a new winner and then rack ‘em back up for Season 5.
SCORING CRITERIA
- +100 points for a win
- +50 points for a finish
- +50 points for a Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night bonus
- +50 points for beating an opponent in the UFC rankings
- +25 points for being in a title fight
- +25 points for being in a main event fight
Easy enough? We sure hope so.
Like last season, we’re doing a snake draft with draft positions decided by reverse finishing order from Season 3. Unlike last season, this season each player may designated TWO keepers from their previous team.
So without further ado, let’s get drafting!
The Keepers
Jed Meshew — Carli Judice (women’s flyweight), Fatima Kline (women’s strawweight)
While my team wasn’t that bad last season, the only reason it was remotely competitive was because my women’s division out-scored everyone else. Both Judice and Kline have fights on the books already for 2026, so I’m sticking with them as the foundation of my comeback.
Alexander K. Lee — Max Holloway (lightweight), Joshua Van (flyweight)
AK had a number of options available for his keepers, but went with the obvious choices. Holloway is set to defend his ‘BMF’ title against Charles Oliveira in March, while Van is likely to return to action soon in defense of his newly won flyweight title — perhaps even twice.
José Youngs — Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight), Tatiana Suarez (women’s strawweight)
José had a tough assignment for his first draft, being given a team that was not his own and not especially stacked with talent. José did have the option to draft an entirely new team, but opted instead to retain two fighters with fights on the books, who should be favored in their bouts.
Guilherme Cruz — Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez (middleweight), Jiri Prochazka (light heavyweight)
Despite his middling finish last season, Gui had several great options to retain, and split the difference on guys with upside and guys with fights booked. Hernandez is set to fight Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC Houston next month, while Prochakza is always guaranteed points when he fights, and should step into the cage again soon.
Damon Martin — Islam Makhachev (welterweight), Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight)
Last season’s runner-up went with the tried and true strategy of backing reigning champions. Makhachev is not currently booked, but figures to defend his newly won belt sometime in the first half of 2026, possibly against Kamaru Usman, while Volkanovski is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes at UFC 325, a rematch of a fight Volk won convincingly less than a year ago.
Mike Heck — Ateba Gautier (middleweight), Waldo Cortes-Acosta (heavyweight)
As expected, the reigning champion had several good options, but settled on two of the three men who carried him to victory last season, both of whom are set to compete at UFC 324, and both of whom are big favorites.
Round 1
Meshew: Bia Mesquita (women’s bantamweight)
I don’t think anyone saw this coming, but I had my reasons. Women’s bantamweight is one of the thinnest divisions in the sport, and with rumors swirling (later confirmed to be true) about Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes being in jeopardy, Mequita, who fights Montserrat Rendon in March, seemed like the best bet to pick up points.
Lee: Alex Pereira (light heavyweight)
After losing to Magomed Ankalaev in the first half of Season 2, “Poatan” was shockingly undrafted in Season 3. AK corrects that here, picking up the light heavyweight champion and adding a valuable player for a weak division. Pereira is not currently booked, but has been angling for Jon Jones at UFC White House, and has also been linked to bouts with Carlos Ulberg and Ciryl Gane.
Youngs: Derrick Lewis (heavyweight)
Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Lewis is set to fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 next week. It’s never a bad idea to side with the UFC’s all-time KO leader, both because of the frequency with which he fights and his penchant for getting finishes.
Cruz: Valter Walker (heavyweight)
Everybody seems to understand that the first round is about taking the best options in weak weight classes, as Gui steps in and grabs one of the few other heavyweights you can be confident in right now. Walker is on a four-fight heel hook streak and takes on Marcin Tybura at UFC Seattle.
Martin: Natalia Silva (women’s flyweight)
The No. 2 flyweight contender is 7-0 since joining the UFC and coming off a win over former champion Alexa Grasso. She’s scheduled to fight Rose Namajunas at UFC 324, and as such, there’s a strong chance she gets another bout in before the season ends.
Heck: Kayla Harrison (women’s bantamweight)
Mike was choosing between three people for his keepers, and ultimately decided to leave Harrison out of it, but since she’s still here, he really got the best of all worlds. Except now Harrison is out of her UFC 324 bout with Amanda Nunes due to surgery on her neck, and it’s unclear if she will even compete this year, let alone this fantasy season.
Round 2
Heck: Sean O’Malley (bantamweight)
Mike gets the wheel and takes another UFC 324 fighter, though this one still has his fight booked. Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley takes on Song Yadong in the presumptive new co-main event, and “Suga” is already lobbying for a title shot at UFC White House should he win next week.
Martin: Benoit Saint Denis (lightweight)
Arguably the best option at 155 pounds, Saint Denis is one of the most exciting fighters on the roster and on a heater right now. He looks to build on that when he takes on Dan Hooker at UFC 325, leaving the door open for another bout for the Frenchman later this season.
Cruz: Kyoji Horiguchi (flyweight)
There was an outside chance Horiguchi would fight for the title after making his UFC return, but the Alexandre Pantoja injury at UFC 323 ended all that. Instead, he takes on Amir Albazi in a few weeks, and given the wide-open nature of 125 pounds right now, Horiguchi is still live to fight for the title this year.
Youngs: Carlos Prates (welterweight)
Tied for MVP last season with 500 points, Prates is guaranteed action whenever he steps into the cage. “The Marlboro Man” may not have a fight booked yet, but he fights so frequently it’s only a matter of time, and it’s more likely than not he’ll try to compete twice over the next six months.
Lee: Quillan Salkilld (wild card)
Salkilld had an incredible breakout year in 2025 and now stands poised to make a real run up the lightweight rankings in 2026 after his brutal KO of Nasrat Haqparast. Now, Salkilld faces Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325 in a bout he’s likely to win emphatically.
Meshew: Diego Lopes (featherweight)
Perhaps an overly aggressive pick, but this is where I make my stand. Diego Lopes does not deserve the rematch he’s getting with Alexander Volkanovski, but deserve doesn’t matter. I know he got dummied less than a year ago, but this time, Lopes gets the job done, and like Prates, Lopes is exciting and active. Even if he loses, he’s probably fighting again soon.
Round 3
Meshew: Tallison Teixeira (heavyweight)
I doubled-stacked UFC 325 competitors here, taking Teixeira, who fights Tai Tuivasa that evening. Teixeira did just lose to Derrick Lewis, which is concerning, but Tuivasa is on a five-fight losing streak and coming off a semi-retirement.
Lee: Gillian Robertson (strawweight)
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Robertson has proven to be one of the few fighters at 115 pounds to consistently finish fights. She takes on Amanda Lemos in March.
Youngs: Payton Talbott (wild card)
Talbott entered 2025 with a lot of hype, but his loss to Raoni Barcelos quickly upended all that. He then rebounded with a pair of wins, including a victory over former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, to end the year as a top 15-ranked 135er, with his bright future fully restored. Talbott doesn’t have anything booked right now, but figures to get a big name in the coming months.
Cruz: Paddy Pimblett (lightweight)
Pimblett is currently a clear betting favorite over Justin Gaethje to win the interim lightweight title next week, and given how both men fight, if that happens, multiple bonuses will be in play, also. There’s even the outside chance that Pimblett gets another fight in afterward, though he figures to be a significant underdog to any of the top lightweight contenders he would face.
Martin: Modestas Bukauskas (light heavyweight)
205 is a weak division, and Bukauskas is currently on a good run, having won four in a row, three by finish. He has a good chance to keep that streak going next week at UFC 324 when he faces Nikita Krylov, who has lost two in a row, both by knockout.
Heck: Brandon Moreno (flyweight)
A former two-time flyweight champion, Moreno lost to Tatsuro Taira last month, but is getting right back on the horse when he takes on Asu Almabayev in the main event of UFC Mexico City in February.
Round 4
Heck: Jacobe Smith (welterweight)
Smith had a strong debut in 2025, scoring two impressive finishes. The Contender Series product looks to continue that next month when he takes on Seok Hyeon Ko at UFC Houston.
Martin: Ailín Pérez (women’s bantamweight)
Somewhat surprisingly, Pérez is currently on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC. And while Pérez predominantly wins by decision at women’s bantamweight, the pickings are slim for big points, and she has a good shot to keep things rolling against Macy Chiasson when they fight at UFC Mexico City.
Cruz: Jean Silva (featherweight)
Silva has been electric inside the octagon, earning four consecutive Performance Bonuses in his past four fights. “Lord” is basically never in a boring bout, and he gets another opportunity to shine when he fights Arnold Allen at UFC 324.
Youngs: Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight)
The presumptive No. 1 contender at light heavyweight, Ulberg is in a bit of a holding pattern for the moment. While the belief is Ulberg’s next bout will be a title shot, it remains to be seen if that will come against Alex Pereira or if Pereira will move up to heavyweight, leaving Ulberg and Prochazka to battle it out.
Lee: Vinicius Oliveira (bantamweight)
After a breakout 2024, Oliveira’s 2025 was a little quieter, but no less impressive. A pair of decision wins over Said Nurmagomedov and Kyler Phillips put “Lok Dog” into the bantamweight rankings, and now he has a chance to move up when he fights Mario Bautista in the main event of UFC Vegas 113.
Meshew: Lone’er Kavanagh (flyweight)
There are some fighters whom I bought early stock in, and I simply won’t quit them. I was super high on Kavanagh coming off Contender Series, and while he’s underdelivered on expectations, this may be the year the 26-year-old makes the leap. His first opportunity comes against Bruno Silva at UFC Vegas 114 in March.
Round 5
Meshew: Zhang Mingyang (light heavyweight)
A speculative choice here, but one I feel good about. “The Mountain Tiger” is not currently booked and is coming off a brutal loss to Johnny Walker that derailed his ascension, but that was just a setback. The UFC is still interested in getting a male Chinese star, and Zhang is their best bet, so I anticipated a softball rebound fight for Zhang sometime this year.
Lee: Caio Borralho (middleweight)
Borralho suffered a setback when he lost to Nassourdine Imavov in September, but now he has a chance to get right back into the mix when he faces Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326.
Youngs: Charles Johnson (flyweight)
The man who upset Lone’er Kavanagh last year, Johnson appears to finally be getting a real push at flyweight, as he’s set to face Alex Perez at UFC 324. Given that “InnerG” likes to stay active, expect him to double dip for Youngs’ team this season.
Cruz: Melqi Costa (wild card)
Costa was Second-Team All-Violence in 2025, so, in general, it’s always a good draft choice to back someone like that, especially when Costa has a very winnable fight against Dan Ige lined up for UFC Houston in February.
Martin: Zhang Weili (women’s strawweight)
There was some discussion of how to treat Zhang since technically she’s a flyweight at the moment, but with the overwhelming expectation that her loss to Valentina Shevchenko means Zhang is heading back to 115 pounds, we decided this made sense. And given that, Zhang is a good pickup for Damon as she will be a massive favorite over Mackenzie Dern, assuming they fight.
Heck: Maycee Barber (women’s flyweight)
Still just 27 years old, Barber is on a seven-fight winning streak in the UFC and finally got back to action in December, decisioning Karine Silva. Now she faces former champion Alexa Grasso at UFC Seattle.
Round 6
Heck: Iwo Baraniewski (light heavyweight)
Baraniewski had a (Mike) Heck of a UFC debut in December when he and Ibo Aslan put on the Round of the Year. That was no accident as Baraniewski has an all-gas-no-brakes style of fighting, which he’ll put to the test against Austen Lane at UFC London in March.
Martin: Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
Bautista fell short in his last fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, but not by much, and figures to be a very difficult fight for Vinicius Oliviera when they lock horns next month.
Cruz: Amanda Nunes (women’s bantamweight)
The other side of the Kayla Harrison coin, Nunes was a risky choice in general given her long layoff ahead of the Harrison fight. Now with that fight postponed, it’s unclear if Nunes will compete at all this season.
Youngs: Luke Riley (featherweight)
One of the few speculative picks in this draft so far, Riley made his UFC debut last year but has nothing on the books at the moment. However, with the UFC heading back to London soon, it’s extremely likely that the undefeated English prospect will get a showcase fight for his home country fans.
Lee: Kevin Vallejos (featherweight)
The unofficial 2025 Rookie of the Year, Vallejos is one of the most gifted up-and-comers in all of MMA. Still just 24 years old, Vallejos broke into the 145-pound Top 15 in December, and is poised to get a big step up this year, whenever he does get booked.
Meshew: David Martinez (bantamweight)
I loved David Martinez coming off Contender Series and thus in the UFC, he’s shown why. Currently ranked in the top 10 at bantamweight, Martinez has a great opportunity for advancement when he takes on Chito Vera at UFC Mexico City next month.
Round 7
Meshew: Damian Pinas (middleweight)
My favorite pick of the entire draft (for me), Pinas is the next Ateba Gautier. “The Babayaga” is 23 and just scratching the surface of his potential. I expect him to do terrible things to Wes Schultz at UFC Mexico City.
Lee: Josh Hokit (heavyweight)
A controversial figure coming off Contender Series last year, Hokit nonetheless made a splash in 2025, scoring a KO in his first UFC fight. He has another favorable matchup ahead of him when he faces Denzel Freeman at UFC 324.
Youngs: Mansur Abdul-Malik (middleweight)
In four UFC bouts, Abdul-Malik has three wins, one draw, three finishes, and one Performance Bonus. He takes on Yousri Belgaroui at UFC Seattle.
Cruz: Yaroslav Amosov (welterweight)
Amosov made his long-awaited UFC debut in December and promptly choked out Neil Magny. The former Bellator champ has nothing on the books yet, but figures to get a step up in competition sometime soon.
Martin: Ante Delija (heavyweight)
Delija had an up-and-down 2025, winning his UFC debut against Marcin Tybue but then losing to Cortes-Acosta. Now he’s aiming to get back on the winning track against Serghei Spivac at UFC Houston.
Heck: Daniel Zellhuber (lightweight)
Zellhuber is currently on a two-fight losing streak, but that didn’t stop Heck from taking the talented lightweight, who is set to fight King Green at UFC Mexico City. But as someone who has believed in Zellhuber before only to be let down in a major way, this is a risky choice.
Round 8
Heck: Loopy Godinez (women’s strawweight)
Godinez isn’t much of a finisher, but she wins more often than not in her UFC tenure, and now she takes on Tatiana Suarez next, who had one of the worst 2025s of any fighter on the roster.
Martin: Conor McGregor (wild card)
The true definition of a wild card, Damon Martin went full Jiri. Never go full Jiri. While McGregor continues to say he wants to fight at UFC White House, he has not fought since 2021 and is a longshot to do so again. And even if he does, who he faces and whether he can still even compete at a high level is completely up in the air.
Cruz: Alexia Thainara (strawweight)
Riding a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, Thainara is one of the few prospects in the strawweight division at the moment. She has nothing booked yet, but will likely fight at least once this season.
Youngs: Eduarda Maura (women’s flyweight)
This is why I locked up my women’s team early, because if you wait until the late rounds, here you are. Moura is on a two-fight winning streak, but now faces fellow rising contender Wang Cong in a difficult matchup at UFC Vegas 113.
Lee: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (welterweight)
A top Contender Series prospect, Lebosnoyani makes his UFC debut against Austin Vanderford at UFC Houston.
Meshew: Justin Gaethje (lightweight)
This is an undeniably risky pick. If Gaethje loses to Pimblett, he’s almost certainly retiring. But it’s still Justin Gaethje, and even if he loses, Fight of the Night is highly likely. And if he wins (I think he will), there’s huge upside here.
Round 9
Meshew: Shavkat Rakhmonov (welterweight)
I still believe in Shavkat Rakhmonov. I know the rest of the world seems to have forgotten about him, but “Nomad” will be back soon, and when he fights, this is a man who 19-0 with 18 finishes.
Lee: Joselyne Edwards (women’s bantamweight)
Edwards had a great 2025, earning First Team All-Violence honors for her two KO wins. She hopes to keep that train rolling against Nora Cornolle at UFC Houston.
Youngs: Alexander Hernandez (lightweight)
A sneaky great pick for Youngs. Hernandez is on a four-fight winning streak and fights the fading Michael Johnson at UFC 324.
Cruz: Petr Yan (bantamweight)
The newly re-crowned bantamweight champion is coming off arguably the best performance of 2025, but it’s unclear where he goes from here. A trilogy bout with Merab Dvalishvili seems most likely, but matchups with Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley are also possible. Whoever he faces, Yan will likely be the favorite.
Martin: Reinier de Ridder (middleweight)
After suffering his first UFC loss, RDR gets no easy matchups, taking on Caio Borralho in the co-main event of UFC 326. It’s a tough matchup for the former ONE two-division champion, who could find his career stalling should he lose.
Heck: Movsar Evloev (featherweight)
It feels like Evloev hasn’t fought in five years, but that may soon be coming to an end. While nothing is official, Evloev is rumored to be facing Lerone Murphy in a presumptive No. 1 contender bout at UFC London.
Round 10
Heck: Gable Steveson (wild card)
Possibly the greatest selection in the history of this draft. Steveson is not currently on UFC roster but it seems inevitable that he will join the promotion soon and compete on the UFC White House card. When he does, not only will Mike get valuable points, he’ll also retain the rights to keep Steveson next season, which has huge potential.
Martin: Manel Kape (flyweight)
It looks like Kape may finally challenge for the flyweight title this year, but looks can be deceiving. The UFC opted not to quickly book Kape vs. Joshua Van, so now it’s a question of who gets the first crack at Van from a big list of contenders. If Kape isn’t chosen, does he sit out and wait? I guess we’ll see.
Cruz: Alexa Grasso (women’s flyweight)
The former women’s flyweight champion, Grasso is on a two-fight skid and desperately needs a win when she takes on Maycee Barber at UFC Seattle.
Youngs: Alice Pereira (women’s bantamweight)
In Youngs’ own words, Pereira is one of the worst fighters on the UFC roster, but she’s not the worst. That distinction may fall to Hailey Cowan, who Pereira faces at UFC Vegas 115.
Lee: Valentina Shevchenko (women’s flyweight)
Kind of shocking that the best pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet fell this late, but here we are. Shevchenko nearly won Fighter of the Year honors in 2025 and is showing no signs of stopping her dominant reign this year. The question is simply who is next to face the WMMA GOAT.
Meshew: Merab Dvalishvili (wild card)
Dvalishvili may not have anything booked yet, but I expect that to change soon. The former bantamweight champion is trying to fight every other week if the UFC will let him, and I’m banking on him keeping that same energy in 2026.
And there you have it! The fourth MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy Draft is in the books! A few very big names were left off this season, most notably Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria and Tom Aspinall, but that’s sort of how these things go.Who got snubbed and which picks were reaches? Let us know in the comments, and vote on who you think takes the trophy this season below
Final Team Results:
