A busy schedule of combat sports events is set for the first three weeks of May 2026. UFC Perth on May 2 features Maddalena vs. Prates and Dariush vs. Salkilld. The same day, PFL Sioux Falls showcases Storley vs. Zendeli and Rabadonov vs. Chizhov. UFC 328 on May 9 headlines Chimaev vs. Strickland, along with Volkov vs. Acosta and Brady vs. Buckley. ACA 203 takes place May 8 with Gaforov vs. Akopyan. UFC Vegas 117 on May 16 features Allen vs. Costa. MVP MMA on May 16 includes Rousey vs. Carano and Ngannou vs. Lins. Boxing events include Inoue vs. Nakatani in Tokyo and Benavidez vs. Ramirez in Las Vegas on May 2, plus Wardley vs. Dubois in Manchester on May 9.
Combat sports fans face a packed calendar in the opening weeks of May 2026, with UFC, PFL, ACA, boxing, and independent promotions all competing for attention across multiple continents.
The action opens on May 2 with UFC Perth, where Jack Della Maddalena meets Nicolas Prates in what figures to be a marquee welterweight contest. Also on that card, lightweight veteran Beneil Dariush — ranked eighth in the division at 37 years old — takes on Montel Salkilld. The American southpaw out of Kings MMA carries a 23-8-1 record and a well-rounded game, averaging 3.78 significant strikes per minute alongside 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes. That same evening, PFL holds its Sioux Falls card featuring Clay Guida's former opponent Jake Storley against Baki Zendeli and a heavyweight bout between Rabadonov and Chizhov.
Why it matters
- UFC 328 on May 9 is the marquee event of the stretch, headlined by Khamzat Chimaev challenging middleweight champion Sean Strickland
- Strickland, 35, holds a 31-7 record and throws a relentless 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach, making him one of the division's most durable pressure fighters
- Also at UFC 328, number-one-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov — nicknamed "Drago," standing six-foot-seven with an 80-inch reach and a 57 percent striking accuracy across a 40-11 career — meets Acosta in a contest with clear title implications
- Michael Morales opponent Jack Della Maddalena, Paul Craig's conqueror Brendan Allen, and former champion Israel Adesanya's rival Paulo Costa meet at UFC Vegas 117 on May 16
The week of May 16 also sees the MVP MMA promotion stage a card featuring Rousey versus Carano and a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Marcos Rogerio de Lima. On the boxing side, undisputed bantamweight king Naoya Inoue defends in Tokyo against compatriot Junto Nakatani on May 2, while David Benavidez faces David Benavídez's mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk — correction per verified data: Benavidez meets Edgar Ramirez in Las Vegas that same night. The month's boxing schedule closes with a heavyweight showdown between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois in Manchester on May 9.
