2026 UFC event schedule: Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland on tap

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Two of the best featherweight grapplers are set to link up this weekend. Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling and rising contender Youseff Zalal look to make a statement in the main event of UFC Fight Night.

Sterling, the former 135-pound champion, has been testing himself against MMA's best grapplers up a division. He lost a competitive decision to top contender Movsar Evloev before dominating Brian Ortega in a five-round catchweight. Now he's got featherweight's bright new contender on his hands.

Zalal is a success story. UFC released "The Moroccan Devil" after his four-fight winless streak. He got right back to work, stopping three opponents in 10 months to earn a second chance that he didn't waste. Since re-signing with UFC, Zalal is 5-0 with four submissions. Most recently, he tapped interim title challenger Josh Emmett in 98 seconds to break into the top 10.

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Next month, UFC 328 touches down in Newark, New Jersey. UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev makes his first title defense against former champ Sean Strickland. There's a heated rivalry there, with both men claiming to get the best of each other in training. The addition of Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira beefs up the card. Their flyweight title fight was originally scheduled for UFC 327, but was moved back a few weeks after Van suffered an injury.

Take a look below at the current UFC event schedule for 2026. Be sure to check back on this page for more information on upcoming UFC events throughout the year.