CBS Sports published a broad 2026 UFC feature that lays out the current championship landscape across multiple divisions, including Justin Gaethje at lightweight, Islam Makhachev at welterweight, and Tom Aspinall at heavyweight. While the piece is not a breaking-news article, it reflects the promotion’s evolving title picture and the way recent results have reshaped the top of several divisions. That context matters for matchmaking because it shows which belts are expected to drive the second half of the year. The article also underscores how crowded the title scene has become heading into summer.
CBS Sports published a sweeping feature on Friday mapping out the UFC's championship landscape heading into the second half of 2026, spotlighting several divisions where the title picture has shifted sharply in recent months. The piece touches on figures including Justin Gaethje at lightweight, Islam Makhachev at welterweight, and Tom Aspinall at heavyweight, and frames the crowded title scene as a defining storyline for the promotion's summer calendar.
Among the champions highlighted, Islam Makhachev stands out as perhaps the most dominant force in the sport right now. The 34-year-old Russian holds the welterweight belt and sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a 28-1 record. Fighting out of Eagles MMA as a southpaw, Makhachev has built his reputation on elite grappling — averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes — while also posting a striking accuracy of 58 percent, one of the highest marks in the division.
The CBS piece also notes the middleweight and flyweight belts as part of the broader title conversation. Sean Strickland, the 35-year-old American champion from Xtreme Couture, carries a 31-7 record into the second half of the year. The orthodox striker is one of the most active pressure fighters in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that lets him work behind a busy jab. At flyweight, 24-year-old Joshua Van of Myanmar has quietly emerged as one of the more intriguing champions on the roster. The Fearless carries a 17-2 record and leads all highlighted champions in striking output, landing 8.84 significant strikes per minute at a 56 percent accuracy clip.
Why it matters
- Makhachev's pound-for-pound status makes the welterweight title the centerpiece of any divisional rankings conversation
- Strickland's volume striking and Van's accuracy give both belts distinct stylistic identities heading into summer cards
- A crowded championship scene increases pressure on matchmakers to schedule high-profile defenses before year's end
