The UFC has released its event schedule for early May 2026, featuring three cards. UFC Perth on May 2 will be headlined by Prates vs Maddalena, with Salkilld vs Dariush and Tuivasa vs Sutherland also on the main card. UFC 328 on May 9 features two title fights: Chimaev vs Strickland and Yan vs Taira, plus Volkov vs Acosta. UFC Vegas 117 on May 16 is headlined by Allen vs Costa. All events include specific start times for Moscow time zone.
The UFC has mapped out its first three weeks of May 2026, releasing a schedule that covers three separate events and includes a pair of championship bouts at the centrepiece card, UFC 328.
The opening event, UFC Perth on May 2, features a welterweight main event between Magomed Prates and Jack Maddalena, with Renato Moicano-style contender action also expected from Mateusz Gamrot-adjacent matchups in Salkilld vs Dariush and a heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Waldo Sutherland on the main card.
UFC 328 on May 9 carries the heaviest weight. Sean Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, puts his belt on the line against Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland, 35, fights out of Xtreme Couture and carries a 31-7 record built around relentless forward pressure — he lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute, among the highest volumes in the division. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, he is a durable and high-output pressure fighter. The card also features a flyweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili conqueror Petr Yan and Tatsuro Taira, and a heavyweight bout matching Alexander Volkov against Raul Acosta. Volkov, the number-one ranked heavyweight at 37 years old, is a six-foot-seven Russian from the Strela Team with a 40-11 record and an outstanding striking accuracy of 57 percent across 4.78 significant strikes landed per minute.
The third event, UFC Vegas 117 on May 16, is headlined by a featherweight contest between Arnold Allen and Paulo Costa — a fight that crosses divisional lines on paper but is confirmed as listed. Allen, ranked fifth in the featherweight division, is a 32-year-old Englishman from Tristar Gym with a 21-4 record. He fights out of a southpaw stance, stands five-foot-eight, and contributes both on the feet and on the mat, averaging 1.24 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Chimaev vs Strickland is a middleweight title fight with significant rankings consequences across the top five
- Yan vs Taira adds a second belt to UFC 328, making it one of the more stacked cards of the year
- Volkov, the number-one ranked heavyweight, could position himself for a title shot with a win over Acosta
- Allen vs Costa at featherweight gives the 145-pound division clarity around its top-five picture
