
Man City in pole position to sign Anderson
Manchester City is set to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
The 2026 Combat Sports Promotional Draft takes place tonight, featuring top fighters from MMA. Prominent figures will draft athletes to build their ideal promotions, with fans voting on the best team.
The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off tonight in Pittsburgh. Itās a fun and hopeful time in the world of the NFL, where for at least one night, franchises can look to the future and dream of a better tomorrow. Thereās nothing like it in MMA. So, many years ago, we here at MMA Fighting decided to change all that.
For the last five years, MMA Fighting has circled the wagons like the Buffalo Bills and divvied up the biggest stars in combat sports across the premier promotions in the game. And itās time to do it again. Welcome to the 5th annual MMA Fighting Promotional Draft!
If you donāt remember how it all works, the concept is simple: Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew each take the reins of one of the top combat sports promotions in the world, and then draft their choice of fighters to build the franchise around. Once itās all said and done, the fine readers of MMAFighting.com determine who has assembled the best collection of talent.
Letās briefly run down the rules as a reminder.
Last year, the MMA promotions were BKFC, PFL, the UFC, and the upstart GFL promotion. Uhhh, that didnāt work out so hot. So, as has been the case every year weāve done this, weāve once again shuffled the deck, relegating GFL to the developmental league, and elevating the new kid on the block, Real American Freestyle!
All general managers have been randomly reassigned to new organizations, with Jed Meshew helming RAF, Damon Martin taking over the PFL, Mike Heck running BKFC, and Alexander K. Lee becoming the new Dana White. As the newest member of the team, RAF has the first pick, then PFL, then BKFC, with the UFC ending each round.
Got it? Good. Let the 2026 MMA Fighting Promotional Draft commence!
Meshew: As the new kids on the block, RAF is thrilled to be invited to such a storied and wonderful spectacle like the Promotional Draft, and we hope to bring the same sort of fast-paced excitement that weāve brought to the combat sports world in our brief lifetime.
With that in mind, RAF firmly believes in following the ādance with the girl who brought youā policy of promotion building, and we wouldnāt be where we are today without Arman Tsarukyan. The man headlines every other card for us, and weāre happy to make things official with Arman. We think weāll be very happy together.
Martin: First off, we are finally rebranding, so from here on out, the PFL is known as FIGHTS. Yes, just FIGHTS.
And with our first selection, we know that name value and star power matter a lot in this sport, but you also canāt ignore talent, and thatās why we are taking the best of all worlds with our first pick. Thatās none other than the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport ā Islam Makhachev. Heās got everything you could want to represent an organization, especially as we kick off the FIGHTS era.
Heck: We need headlines. We need a spark, and weāve made one with arguably the UFCās current biggest star.
It also doesnāt hurt that heās one of the best and most exciting fighters in the world right now. On a roster thatās lacking real star power these days, having āEl Matadorā bring the UFC lightweight title over to BKFC gives us the most street cred weāve ever had. Now, to figure out who he can fight.
Lee: Traditionally, whoever has the UFC as their promotion has had to play defense, desperately clinging on to champions and marquee fighters in a desperate attempt to stem the rising tide.
No more. Our new motto is āattack, attack, attack,ā and if that means letting some malcontents and barely active fighters go, then so be it. In their absence, weāre happy to bring back a young man who made a name for himself in the octagon and went on to become the face of BKFC: Mike Perry. Welcome home.
Meshew: Arman Tsarukyan is the straw that stirs the drink for us here at RAF, but the man needs a running mate. And who better to fill that role than his good friend, the current (now former) UFC middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev! Weāve yet to actually see āBorzā on the RAF mats, but we just asked him to come over, and he said yes, and weāre very excited about the possibilities, so weāre locking this down early.
Martin: From the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter to quite possibly one of the most electric athletes in combat sports today, Alex Pereira.
A man who can fight across three divisions and demolish the competition, and he needs to say nothing more than āChamaā after delivering another jaw-rattling knockout. Heavyweight may be on life support in many other promotions, but with Pereira anchoring that division in FIGHTS, we are confident in the future.
Heck: McGregor could not be more grateful to be out of his UFC contract, and now he can compete in one of the biggest fights ever in combat sports. āThe Notoriousā makes his return to action, takes the gloves off, and will headline BKFC KnuckleMania 6.5 in Dublin, Ireland, against Ilia Topuria to crown a NEW āKing of Violenceā champion.
Things just got very real, and a message has been sent to the rest of the fighting world.
Lee: Out with the old, in with the new!
With respect to the fine, hard-working women on our current roster, thereās a distinct lack of buzz around the bantamweights, flyweights, and strawweight divisions. Itās not a stretch at all to say that the most talked-about female prospect of the past five years is PFLās Dakota Ditcheva, and guess what? Sheās ours now.
Meshew: Man, everything is coming up RAF right now. When I put together my big board, Arman, Khamzat, and Gable were the three names at the top, as they are all big stars with big potential, and fit what we do here. Frankly, I didnāt think Iād get all three of them, and weāre ecstatic to have yet another Olympic gold medalist under the RAF banner. High-profile matchups with Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Wyatt Hendrickson, and others await.
Martin: Like it or not, FIGHTS needs to draw a crowd, and few fighters drum up more emotion in this sport than Sean Strickland.
Love him or hate him, Strickland evokes serious emotions from anybody who watches him or listens to him talk for more than about two minutes. Sure, Strickland isnāt always the most exciting fighter on the planet, but neither was Georges St-Pierre, and people adored him. Strickland definitely isnāt GSP, but heās got a massive following, and that counts for a lot in this sport!
Heck: Like I said, weāre here to make headlines. You think this does the trick?
After āretiringā from WWE at WrestleMania (we know he probably has one more match ahead of him, and heāll be allowed to take part as part of this historic contract), Lesnar is now a massive free agent. āThe Beastā does not love to get hit; we are aware of that, so we will be strategic in how we matchmake.
But then again, the phone is ringing!
Lee: Why get Steveson when you can get the man who beat Steveson? 2025 NCAA national champion Wyatt Hendrickson!
Listen, it may seem wrong to force a talented wrestler to mix the martial arts, but Hendrickson has actually expressed interest in cagefighting someday, so why donāt we just skip the whole RAF and Olympic portion of his career and get right down to it? The UFC PI is all yours, Mr. Hendrickson.
Meshew: WHAT?!?!?!?!
Iām reeling. Of all the names I thought might be in danger, Big Wyatt was not one of them. The Gable pick certainly lost some steam now, so itās time to call an audible. If AK is going to take one of my heavyweights, Iām just going to have to take one of his to refill the coffers. āThe Incredible Hokā is the hottest name in the heavyweight division right now, and not only does he bring the promotional energy we want, but heās already tried to beef with Gable.
Take that, UFC!
Martin: As the new FIGHTS era starts, we need a big draw for our debut event, and thereās not much bigger than booking a former Strongman like Eddie Hall against Alex Pereira in the main event. Hall may not be the most skilled fighter, but heās like 350 pounds of pure muscle, and he may not last more than three minutes in a fight, but itās going to be an exhilarating experience until he either flattens somebody or passes out from exhaustion.
Heck: Iām reeling right now. BKFC was going to take Eddie Hall and build to a superfight with Brock Lesnar down the line. So with that excitement no longer possible, letās pivot to a man that many consider to be the most exciting in the history of MMA: Justin Gaethje.
Not only does Gaethje fit in with the BKFC vibe, but weāve got a few obvious matchups already on the roster. First up will be the winner of Topuria vs. McGregor, meaning BKFC is set as we move into our post-Perry era. And, we just stole the White House main event.
Lee: Perry isnāt the only ex-UFC star weāre bringing back.
Francis Ngannou, donāt worry about any of that Dana White beef. Iām in charge now, and I guarantee you the TKO overlords will be happy to have you back. I argue Ngannou is still the biggest name in heavyweight MMA, and as for who we plan to match him up with⦠to be continued.
Meshew: The late rounds are where you draft for value, and what could be more valuable than a two-time Olympic gold medalist? I know judo and wrestling arenāt the same, but itās close enough for what weāre trying to do as we build womenās wrestling, and there are obvious matchups with some of our other female talent on the roster. Helen Maroulis vs. Kayla Harrison, gold medalist vs. gold medalist. Letās go!
Martin: One thing that the organization formerly known as the PFL managed to do well was build a solid following internationally with the European series of events. So with a focus on massive, marquee events, few fighters on Earth could draw a bigger crowd in England than Paddy the Baddy.
Heās a magnetic personality, and despite a loss to Justin Gaethje in his last outing, Pimblett still has plenty of room to grow. Weāll let him flourish at FIGHTS while packing in sold-out crowds at the same time!
Heck: After getting off the phone with Lesnarās advocate, Paul Heyman, he had a message to send to me and the rest of the fighting universe.
āThe Beast wants to fight The GOAT. Make it happen.ā
Well, Mr. Heyman, weāve done exactly that. Headlining BKFC KnuckleMania 6 3/4: Seasonās Beatings, the weekend before Christmas, our main event is set as Brock Lesnar faces Jon Jones in a battle of former UFC heavyweight champions.
Lee: Seriously, where has CƩdric DoumbƩ been?
Iām assuming the nefarious PFL (apologies, FIGHTS) has been unable to get on the same page with its biggest international star, so the always magnanimous UFC will do both parties a favor and solve the problem for them. DoumbĆ© joins a welterweight division in need of a shake-up and gives us an automatic blockbuster headliner anytime we decide to visit the City of Light.
Meshew: OK, I love how my draft is unfolding right now. Iām getting all the people I want, and only losing a few Iād like. So now itās time to take a risk. We canāt get Islam Makhachev like we wanted, but maybe we can get someone even better.
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired after the tragic death of his father, Abdulmanap, swearing to his mother that he would never fight again. But hereās the thing, wrestling isnāt fighting! āThe Eagleā may not lace up the gloves ever again, but perhaps we could get him to put his books back on and have some fun. And if we can, heād be a steal of a pick.
Itās entirely possible this doesnāt work out for us, but we here at RAF dare to dream big.
Martin: Not to keep repeating the same thing over and over again, FIGHTS needs to draw a crowd, and thatās going to require extra support than just the new TV deal weāre going to sign by the end of 2026. Joe Rogan provides us with a lot of opportunities not only as a color commentator, but he hosts the biggest podcast on Earth, and imagine him sitting between Alex Pereira and Eddie Hall prior to our āBattle of the Monstersā event.
Plus, Rogan has President Donald Trump on speed dial, so if we ever need to figure out some visa problems, heās going to be a key asset for the entire organization!
Heck: Thereās no room for mercy in the BKFC squared circle, and we feel Jiri Prochazka needs to go back to his roots and get a fresh coat of paint.
Heās been painted in the UFC corner of the room for far too long, and āBJPā has lost his edge. Prochazka will have run of the land ā fights at middleweight, light heavyweight, even heavyweight. Prochazka fits our message very well, and weāre officially announcing that Prochazka will make his official debut at BKFCSea: The Bruise Cruise on Jan. 23.
In the meantime, Prochazka will serve as color commentator, host, and ring announcer for select events.
Lee: RAF, I swear itās not personal.
Iāve always been a proponent of turning the womenās bantamweight division into 135-and-up, opening the door for the likes of Cris Cyborg, Gabi Garcia, and whoever else doesnāt have time to worry about pesky weight-cutting rules. Blades, who competed at 168 pounds when she won silver at the Olympics, will be the face of this new super division, an athlete with the āItā factor and the ability to suplex other women on their heads.
Meshew: Alexander K. Lee is a terrorist. Heās personally attacking me, and I donāt care for it. RAF is just starting to find our footing, and the Big Bad UFC man is trying to throttle us before we even stand up. Fie! Fie on you!
And, Iāll be honest, I donāt have any great names left to draft. There are plenty of people I could try to convince to come to RAF ā Ronda Rousey, Aaron Pico, Daniel Cormier ā but honestly, I donāt have high hopes for most of them. So, letās end with a whimper and take a man who may never have moved into MMA in the first place were RAF around years ago: Bo Nickal. We already have a relationship with Bo, and weāre going to pair him with Chael Sonnen to do his talking for him, meaning we can build him up to be a cornerstone of the promotion.
Martin: The international flavor for FIGHTS rounds out our draft with arguably the best wrestler of the past 20 years, with two-time Olympic gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev joining our ranks. Sadulaev has spent time training with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team in the past, and he might be the single greatest prospect to ever crossover into MMA. With FIGHTS taking cards across Europe and other international territories, Sadulaev is going to command a crowd, and weāll also support him in his efforts to become a three-time Olympic champion in 2028.
Plus if he can even remotely throw hands, Sadulaev is going to be a problem for anyone fighting at heavyweight all the way down to middleweight. Thatās an investment worth making!
Heck: I know this is an off-the-board selection, but hear me out.
BKFC has taken, arguably, the most important piece to RAFās success to this point, the man who helped WCW crush the WWE in the ratings for 83 weeks, the man who is the main producer of RAF events, Eric Bischoff.
If youāve watched our events this year ā especially this past KnuckleMania card, weāve lost our way a little bit when it comes to one of the main things that has kept us on the map for so long: The pacing and production of our cards. KnuckleMania was a disaster, quite frankly, in that regard. The card took FOREVER, and the fans were not thrilled about it. Weāve heard you loud and clear, fans. Now, we have the man who understands that pacing and keeping things moving is a MUST for combat sports fans, which is why RAF shows so well on television and in the arenas.
Weāre going back to our no-downtime ways. Fight to fight to fight with very little in between, the BKFC youāve always loved is so back!
Lee: Deontay Wilder is coming off a spirited win over Derek Chisora, and while that would be a lovely capper to the hard-hitting Americanās fighting career, I still think we can work something out before he hangs up the gloves for good.
Maybe the rules will have to be modified, but Iām not passing up on making Ngannou vs. Wilder happen under the UFC banner, and I doubt many fight fans would either.
Final draft results:
RAF (Jed Meshew)
PFL FIGHTS (Damon Martin)
BKFC (Mike Heck)
UFC (Alexander K. Lee)
Watch the video above, or listen to the audio podcast below, or onĀ Apple Podcasts,Ā Spotify, and wherever you get your pods.
The 2026 Combat Sports Promotional Draft is an event where top combat sports promotions draft fighters to build their ideal teams.
Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew are the main figures drafting fighters for the event.
After the draft, fans on MMAFighting.com vote to determine which promotion has assembled the best collection of fighters.
The draft features top combat sports promotions, although specific names are not mentioned in the excerpt.

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