Sat Dec 27 21:30:00 UTC 2025: News Article:

UFC Ushers in Paramount+ Era, TWSN Identifies Top Prospects for 2026

By TWSN Team | December 26, 2025

2026 is shaping up to be a monumental year for the UFC as it transitions to the Paramount+ streaming platform, ending the ESPN era. The move away from the pay-per-view model promises to make the sport more accessible to fans, spotlighting established stars like Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria and providing a platform for rising talent.

TWSN has released its annual list of UFC prospects to watch in 2026, highlighting fighters poised to make a significant impact. The 2025 edition of the list saw several fighters, including Vinicius Oliveira, Kevin Vallejos, Payton Talbott, Joshua Van, and Mansur Abdul-Malik, achieve breakout success.

This year’s list features twenty promising athletes, including lightweight Quillan Salkilld, who nearly secured “Rookie of the Year” honors in 2025, featherweight Marwan Rahiki, known for his striking, and Luke Riley, teammate to Paddy Pimblett.

Other notable prospects include UFC veteran Rodriguez, welterweight Michael Oliveira, known for athleticism, Santiago Luna, “Border Boy”, the well-rounded AbdulRakhman, skilled boxer Alexandre Topuria, striker Ochoa, heavy hitter Asplund, Ramazan Temirov, Nurollo Aliev, Jacobe Smith with well-rounded skillset, and Ateba Gautier.

The list also includes Jose Delgado, Magomed Zaynukov, Ethyn Ewing, Baisangur Sursukaev, Lone’er Kavanaugh, and Mairon Santos.

With the flyweight division potentially more open than it has been in years, and the promotion seeking new stars, these fighters are set to compete for recognition in 2026.

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