UFC president Dana White announced the promotion's full event schedule through mid-June 2026, featuring 10 cards from April onward. Key bookings include Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland for the middleweight title at UFC 328 on May 9, and Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title on June 14 in Washington D.C. Co-main events highlighted are Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain on April 18 in Winnipeg and Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld on May 2 in Perth. This locks in the calendar, offering fighters clear timelines for camps and fans major title clashes. It stabilizes divisions like middleweight and lightweight amid title vacancies, with potential for more superfights. Expect rapid hype builds and possible injury adjustments as camps start.
Reports indicate the UFC has mapped out a packed schedule through mid-June 2026, with Dana White reportedly announcing 10 cards from April onward — though none of the bookings have been officially confirmed at this stage.
The headlining attraction on that unconfirmed slate is a middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, said to be targeted for UFC 328 on May 9. Strickland, known as "Tarzan," carries a 31-7 record and holds the middleweight championship. The 35-year-old American trains out of Xtreme Couture and is one of the most active pressure strikers in the division, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute. His reach, listed at 76 inches, gives him a considerable threat from distance in a stand-up contest.
Also reportedly slated is a lightweight title bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, penciled in for June 14 in Washington D.C.
On May 2 in Perth, Beneil Dariush is reportedly booked against rising Australian contender Quillan Salkilld. Dariush, a 37-year-old southpaw out of Kings MMA, holds a 23-8-1 record and is ranked eighth at lightweight. He averages 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands strikes at a 49 percent accuracy clip. Salkilld, ranked 15th, enters with an 11-1 record and represents a sharp stylistic contrast — the 26-year-old from Australia posts a striking accuracy of 57 percent and a staggering 7.95 takedown attempts per 15 minutes, making him one of the more grappling-heavy prospects in the division.
Why it matters
- A Chimaev-Strickland middleweight title fight would be among the division's most anticipated matchups in recent memory
- Dariush vs. Salkilld pits a veteran top-ten contender against one of lightweight's fastest-rising names
- The reported schedule gives fighters and camps clear timelines, though injury adjustments remain a real possibility before any bouts are formalized
Saturday, May 9, 2026
