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 bantamweight division to find the very best bet at 135lbs. Come check out what we cooked up for this MMA pick!
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2026 MMA Futures Pick of the Week: Bantamweight Champion
UFC Bantamweight Rankings
Current Champ: Petr Yan – Next Challenger: TBA
The bantamweight division is another of the divisions that is in flux. Much like the flyweight division that I broke down yesterday, we have a new champion who rose to the top with some questions around him.
Petr Yan definitely deserved the shot that he got at the belt. He put together a slew of wins to stake his claim, but those came right after a three-fight losing streak that saw him lose to each of the last three bantamweight champs. While his championship performance was near flawless, we’ve seen him lose to the top of the division already. Additionally, that win is slightly marred by the fact that the former champ, Merab Dvalishvili, had rushed another weight cut to try to break a record. With all of those factors in play, I simply don’t think that Yan will still be champion come the end of this year.
If it is going to be someone else, I’m looking to Umar Nurmagomedov. He was well on his way to taking the title off of Dvalishvili through two rounds, but then seemed to tire in the later rounds. He rebounded with a 30-37 victory over top ten opponent Mario Bautista and seems poised for another title shot in 2026. If he does, I like his style to beat Yan and carry that belt into the new year.
UFC Bantamweight Champion on December 31st, 2026: Umar Nurmagomedov (+200)
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