With no UFC events for a couple of weeks, that doesn’t mean we can’t get down at the sportsbooks with UFC action. Just about every book out there is flooded with markets for UFC futures – most of which are on who will be champion come December 31st of 2026. With 9 of the 11 titles changing hands in 2025, it’s clear that there is plenty of money to be made with UFC futures. For today’s pick, we’ve dug into the flyweight division to find the very best bet at 125lbs. Come check out what we cooked up for this MMA pick!
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2026 MMA Futures Pick of the Week: Flyweight Champion
UFC Flyweight Rankings
Current Champ: Joshua Van – Next Challenger: TBA
The flyweight division and its future outlook is probably the most tumultuous of any of the divisions. The longstanding champion, Alexandre Pantoja, dropped his belt at during the last pay-per-view of the year due to a freak injury. After falling and dislocating his elbow, there is no timetable for a return for Pantoja and no telling how good the 35-year old will be when he comes back.
Meanwhile, Joshua Van takes over the belt, but has a fair number of question marks around him. The 24-year old champ has a quality win ove Brandon Royval, but apart from that, we haven’t seen him beat much in the way of top level competition. His best win outside of that is #14 Bruno Silva, and he does have a recent loss to #13 Charles Johnson. As a result, it’s hard to trust that he will be able to hold on to the belt through two or three title defenses.
With those two not really options for me, I’m heading to a less conventional option with big odds. Kyoji Horiguchi made his triumphant return to the UFC in November – beating #12 Tagir Ulanbekov in a one-sided affair. Horiguchi jumped up to #8 in the division and already has a date with #6 Amir Albazi. That trajectory is already one that you would want to keep an eye on, but there are plenty of other reasons to like him here. He has plenty of high-level competition. That could be trouble for a young fighter like Van. Plus, the UFC has plans to head back to Asia in the summer.
With all of that, there is astronomical odds for him to be champ at the end of the year. As a result, he’s definitely the best value on the market.
UFC Flyweight Champion on December 31st, 2026: Kyoji Horiguchi (+900)
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