Song can play spoiler, however, and toss his hat in the title ring as a win over O’Malley would serve as his ticket into the elite ranks. Cory Sandhagen remains in the picture as well even after losing his first undisputed bid in October 2025. The Colorado-native holds a win over Song, but with previous losses to Nurmagomedov and Yan, he may have to fight a little further down the rankings before looking back toward the top of the division.
Among those who are looking for a pathway to the top-5 is the 38-year-old Aiemann Zahabi. The Canadian quietly put together a 5-fight winning streak heading into 2025 and tacked on decision wins over José Aldo and Marlno “Chito” Vera to cement himself as a top-10 bantamweight. Considering his age, he is looking to move up the ladder quickly, parlaying his run of form into an opportunity against someone in the top-5.
2026 DIVISION PREVIEWS: Flyweight | Lightweight | Welterweight
Three newer and younger faces in the top-15 are David Martinez, Payton Talbott and Vinicius Oliveira. The trio of Dana White’s Contender Series alumni each secured marquee wins in 2025 to break through the pack. Martinez’s was perhaps the most surprising as he stepped in on short-notice to defeat Rob Font on the scorecards and position himself in the top-10 just two fights into his UFC tenure. Oliveira and Talbott didn’t take much more time than that. The former bagged wins over Said Nurmagomedov and Kyler Phillips in 2025 to reach the rankings two years after securing his contract, and Talbott, after suffering a momentum-halting loss to Raoni Barcelos, returned with a solid win over Felipe Lima before beating up Henry Cejudo in Cejudo’s retirement fight. Each of them could serve as catalysts toward a shift in the bantamweight scheme in 2026.
Other Names to Track: Montel Jackson, Charles Jourdain, Aleksandre Topuria, Felipe Lima