UFC schedule: Ultimate Fighting Championship Schedule 2026 hits
The UFC schedule for 2026 runs 44 events across four continents, anchored by a new seven-year Paramount+ deal that moves every card onto the streamer. Fans tracking dates, venues, and broadcast windows now have a single place to plan the season, from the historic White House event in June to title fights in Philadelphia and Shanghai. The calendar rewards viewers who want both familiar Vegas weekends and first-time stops in new markets.
June opens with back-to-back Vegas cards
UFC Fight Night on June 20 pits Manel Kape against Kyoji Horiguchi at the Meta APEX. Prelims start at 5 p.m. ET and the main card airs at 8 p.m. on Paramount+. The card is a standard Fight Night, yet it sets the tone for a summer packed with numbered events and international travel.
One week later the promotion heads overseas for the first time in 2026. Rafael Fiziev meets Manuel Torres at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku on June 27. The early-afternoon ET start time gives East Coast viewers a rare daytime window while testing how the new streaming deal performs in different time zones.
These two June events illustrate the rapid turnaround the UFC now expects from its roster. Fighters finishing in Las Vegas can watch the next card from Baku before they have fully recovered, a pace made possible by the expanded calendar.
McGregor headlines July in Las Vegas
Conor McGregor returns on July 11 when UFC 329 stages his rematch with Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena. The bout carries pay-per-view energy even though traditional PPV pricing has disappeared under the Paramount+ agreement. Ticket demand in Las Vegas has already pushed secondary-market prices higher than recent numbered events.
Seven days later the promotion shifts inland to the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The July 18 Fight Night keeps the summer cluster alive while giving regional fans outside the coastal markets a live show. Venue choice reflects the UFC’s continued push into secondary U.S. cities that rarely host major sports.
The back-to-back Vegas-to-Oklahoma swing also underscores how the promotion manages fighter availability. Lightweight and featherweight divisions absorb the heaviest workload during this stretch, with several fighters appearing on both the McGregor and Oklahoma City lineups.
East Coast title fight lands in Philadelphia
Islam Makhachev defends the lightweight belt against Michael Machado Garry on August 15 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The matchup is the first 2026 title fight scheduled east of the Mississippi, expanding the UFC’s footprint in a market long dominated by boxing and college sports.
Philadelphia’s arena has hosted fewer MMA events than its New York or Boston counterparts, so local media coverage has focused on ticket access and transit rather than fighter storylines. Organizers expect the card to draw a strong regional television rating on CBS, which will carry select numbered events under the new broadcast split.
The date also sits between two Fight Nights, creating a three-week run of weekly programming that tests both the production team and the medical staff clearing fighters for frequent travel.
White House event marks a milestone
June 14 brings UFC Freedom 250 to the South Lawn of the White House, the first professional sports event held at the executive mansion. The card celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States and streams on Paramount+ with a limited CBS window for the main event.
Security logistics have dominated early coverage, yet the booking also signals how the promotion wants to position itself as part of national celebrations. Fighters selected for the card receive additional credentialing requirements, a detail rarely discussed in standard venue planning.
The one-off nature of the event contrasts with the rest of the 2026 slate, which returns to regular arenas the following week. Still, the White House stop has already generated the most social-media conversation of any single date on the calendar.
Abu Dhabi and Serbia expand the map
July 25 lands at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, continuing the UFC’s long relationship with the Middle East. The main event features Magomed Ankalaev against Khalil Rountree Jr., a light-heavyweight bout that keeps the division active during the summer travel period.
One week later the promotion debuts in Serbia. The August 1 card at Belgrade Arena marks the first time the UFC has staged an event in the country, part of a deliberate push into Eastern Europe after successful shows in Poland and Croatia.
Both dates sit inside a tight international cluster that forces the broadcast team to manage multiple time-zone handoffs within seven days. Paramount+ will carry all four events live, giving subscribers a test of the platform’s global delivery before the later Asian and European stops.
China and France close the summer
August 30 takes the UFC to Shanghai for the first time since 2019. The card at the Oriental Sports Center features several Chinese fighters on the undercard, a booking choice aimed at rebuilding local interest after pandemic-related pauses.
The following weekend, September 5, moves to Paris and the Accor Arena. French fans have supported Fight Nights in the past, yet this is the first numbered-level event scheduled for the city under the new media deal. Local promoters expect a strong walk-up sale once the main-event pairing is announced.
These two late-summer dates also mark the end of the initial three-month push that began with the White House event. After Paris the calendar shifts into a steadier rhythm of monthly numbered shows and standard Fight Nights.
Streaming replaces traditional PPV
Every 2026 event streams exclusively on Paramount+ under the seven-year agreement announced last winter. The change removes the old $79.99 pay-per-view tier and replaces it with a flat subscription model that includes all prelims and main cards.
CBS retains a handful of numbered events for linear broadcast, a concession that keeps the UFC visible to households without streaming. Early ratings for the first CBS window will determine whether the hybrid model expands in future years.
Fans who previously bought events à la carte now weigh the annual Paramount+ cost against the full 44-event slate. Early social-media polling shows most longtime viewers view the switch as a net savings, though some casual fans say they will watch only the biggest cards.
Rankings and roster movement shape fall cards
With 44 events confirmed, several divisions face compressed timelines for title eliminators. The lightweight and welterweight ranks, already deep, will see multiple top-15 fighters compete twice between June and September, accelerating movement in the official rankings.
Matchmakers have signaled that the August and September Fight Nights will serve as tryout cards for prospects who impressed at regional shows. Those winners could receive short-notice call-ups if injuries hit the numbered-event lineups.
The volume also raises questions about recovery windows. The UFC’s medical team has expanded its staff for 2026, yet fighters and managers continue to lobby for clearer rest guidelines between overseas trips.
Tickets and travel planning begin now
Presale windows for the Philadelphia and Shanghai cards opened in the last week, with verified fan-club members gaining first access. Secondary-market prices for the McGregor rematch already exceed face value by double digits, a pattern familiar from previous McGregor events.
International travelers targeting Abu Dhabi and Paris are booking flights earlier than in past years, citing both higher demand and the fixed streaming schedule that removes date-change uncertainty. Hotels near the Accor Arena report blocks reserved for fight-week packages.
Viewers who want to follow every card can set calendar alerts through the Paramount+ app, which now lists all 44 dates with start times adjusted for local zones. The feature removes the need to cross-reference multiple sites for broadcast information.
Planning ahead matters
The 2026 UFC schedule rewards fans who map their viewing and travel early. With every event on Paramount+, a historic White House card, and title fights stretching from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, the season offers more access points than any previous year. Keeping the full calendar in view now prevents last-minute scrambles when tickets and broadcast windows lock in.
