The UFC has announced its fight schedule for the first three weeks of May 2026. UFC Perth takes place on May 2nd featuring Prates vs. Maddalena and Tsarukyan vs. Dariush as main attractions. UFC 328 on May 9th will feature two title fights: Chimaev vs. Strickland and Yan vs. Taira, with Volkov vs. Acosta also on the card. UFC Vegas 117 on May 16th headlines Allen vs. Costa. All event start times and preliminary card schedules are provided in Moscow time.
The UFC has confirmed its event lineup for the opening three weeks of May 2026, a run that includes a card in Perth, a pay-per-view featuring two title bouts, and a Fight Night event in Las Vegas.
UFC Perth opens the stretch on May 2nd, headlined by a lightweight clash between Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush alongside a welterweight contest between Nicolas Prates and Jack Maddalena. Tsarukyan, ranked first in the lightweight division, carries a 23-3-0 record into the fight. The 29-year-old Russian, who trains out of American Top Team, is a well-rounded threat with 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes and a striking accuracy rate of 50 percent.
UFC 328 follows on May 9th and delivers two championship fights on the same card. Sean Strickland puts his middleweight title on the line against Khamzat Chimaev. The 35-year-old American champion holds a 31-7-0 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, Strickland is one of the busiest strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute. The second title fight on the card sees Merab Dvalishvili defend or contest the bantamweight championship against Kai Kara-France's division — the summary lists Yan vs. Taira for that slot. Also featured on UFC 328 is a heavyweight matchup between Alexander Volkov and Jhonata Acosta.
UFC Vegas 117 closes the three-week run on May 16th, with a middleweight bout between Kyle Allen and Paulo Costa headlining the card at the UFC Apex.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan vs. Dariush has direct lightweight title implications given Tsarukyan's number-one ranking
- Chimaev vs. Strickland is a middleweight title fight pitting the champion's high-volume striking against one of the division's most anticipated challengers
- Yan vs. Taira adds a second championship fight to UFC 328, making it one of the more stacked pay-per-view cards of the year
