MMAMania hands out its 2026 mid-year honors, with Gaethje’s Topuria win labeled the defining upset

MMAmania’s mid-year awards for 2026 use one fight to frame the year’s identity so far: Justin Gaethje defeating Ilia Topuria to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250. The outlet calls it the clearest combination of optics, stakes and historical importance among events from the opening half of the year, emphasizing how Gaethje entered the bout as a major underdog and how Topuria had arrived with the kind of momentum that tends to make challengers look outmatched.

In MMAmania’s recap, Topuria’s résumé going in was framed as nearly untouchable. He was described as an undefeated lightweight champion and a two-division titleholder, with a recent run that included knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in consecutive fights. MMAMania’s view is that Topuria looked like the sport’s best bet for another decisive statement, and it portrays the fight turning only after Gaethje survived early damage and steadily broke down the champion.

The awards write-up also highlights the fight’s finish as a key part of why it resonated. According to MMAmania’s account, after Gaethje weathered the early storm and a brutal second round, he gradually wore Topuria down until the champion’s corner stopped the fight before the fifth round. MMAmania also notes the personal and historical stake of Gaethje finally becoming an undisputed UFC lightweight champion, ending years of promise and frustration for the veteran known primarily for action-first fights.

MMAmania expands beyond its “Upset of the Year” pick by pointing to another championship-altering result it calls an underdog success story. For “Upset of the Year” adjacent emphasis, the outlet also spotlighted Sean Strickland’s second stint as UFC middleweight champion, describing his UFC 328 victory over Khamzat Chimaev and portraying Chimaev’s undefeated status as part of what made the outcome feel unlikely. MMAmania’s narrative says Strickland was expected to be overwhelmed once the fight settled, but that the matchup evolved into a four-round striking battle.

In a separate mid-year category, MMAMania crowned Josh Hokit as its “Breakout Fighter of the Year.” It describes Hokit starting 2026 as an unranked UFC heavyweight with one prior Octagon appearance, then compiling a fast-moving stretch that included a step up against Curtis Blaydes and a later stoppage win that propelled him into title-contention conversation. MMAmania characterizes the overall arc as a jump from novelty to a top-tier threat, with the outlet noting that Hokit’s momentum had him ranked in the top of the heavyweight division as the first half closes.

Taken together, MMAmania’s awards are less about definitive rankings and more about what the sport rewarded in the first six months: fights that flipped expectations, champions forced into survival modes, and emerging heavyweights or strikers who made their case through urgency rather than gradual positioning. If the second half of 2026 produces more title shake-ups and sudden accelerations like these, MMAmania’s mid-year thesis will likely look prescient, and the title picture could remain unusually turbulent.