Calendar of the Biggest Fights in October 2026

October 2026 is one of the busiest months on the combat sports calendar. The schedule spans several continents at once: UFC events in Salt Lake City and Abu Dhabi, an ACA card in Grozny, and boxing shows in England, the United States, Yekaterinburg and Saudi Arabia. In this article, we have collected all the biggest fights of the upcoming month so you do not miss anything!

Read the latest fight predictions in the dedicated section of our website!

Ben Whittaker — Conor Wallace

Date and place: October 3, Birmingham, England

Status: WBC Silver light heavyweight title

Ben Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) is one of Britain's brightest prospects, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and a boxer known for his trademark showman style. Conor Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) is an Australian southpaw ranked No. 2 by the IBF who has never previously fought outside his home country. The winner will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF world title — and therefore a likely opponent for Dmitry Bivol.

Natalia Silva — Wang Cong

Date and place: UFC 332, October 4, Salt Lake City, USA

Status: women's flyweight title

Valentina Shevchenko has vacated the belt, and now two top fighters will compete for the championship. Brazil's Natalia Silva (20-3-1) is ranked No. 1 and is known for an aggressive style and heavy striking. China's Wang Cong (9-1) is a rising star who quickly climbed the rankings and earned a title opportunity. For both fighters, this will be their first UFC title fight.

Roman Kopylov — Ateba Gautier

Date and place: UFC 332, October 4, Salt Lake City, USA

Status: middleweight

Roman Kopylov (15-5) faces a serious test. Ateba Gautier (10-1) is a Cameroonian knockout artist who has been called the "second Ngannou": 9 stoppage wins in 10 victories, and in the UFC — 5 fights, 5 wins. The only fighter to make it to a decision against Gautier was another Russian, Andrey Pulyaev.

Daud Shaikhaev — Bibert Tumenov

Date and place: ACA 208, October 4, Grozny, Russia

Status: lightweight title

Reigning ACA lightweight champion Daud Shaikhaev (19-5-1) makes his first title defense. His opponent is dangerous knockout artist Bibert Tumenov (16-2), who earned his title shot with a run of impressive stoppage victories. The event is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the head of the Chechen Republic and Grozny City Day, so the atmosphere is expected to be huge.

Zaur Abdullaev — Khariton Agrba

Date and place: RCC Boxing Promotions, October 10, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Status: interim WBA super lightweight title

Two top Russian boxers from the RCC team will fight for a championship belt. Zaur Abdullaev (21-2) holds the WBA Gold title and is ranked No. 13. Khariton Agrba (17-1) is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, and this will be his first fight for a world title under the main sanctioning version. The reigning champion is American Gary Antuanne Russell. In addition to the main event, fans will see two RCC Grand Prix finals with IBF Asia and WBA Gold Intercontinental belts at stake.

Sebastian Fundora — Ermal Hadribeaj

Date and place: October 17, Carson, California, USA

Status: WBC super welterweight title

WBC champion Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) makes a mandatory title defense. He stands out for his unusual height for the division — 197 cm — which earned him the nickname "The Towering Inferno." His opponent is unbeaten Albanian Ermal Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs), nicknamed "The Albanian Sniper." Hadribeaj earned mandatory-challenger status by defeating Bakary Samake in an eliminator and trained alongside Tyson Fury during his preparation. Bookmakers see Fundora as the clear favorite, but the Albanian has everything needed to spring a surprise.

Alexander Volkanovski — Movsar Evloev

Date and place: UFC 333, October 24, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Status: featherweight title

The main event of the month. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) defends the belt against unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev (20-0). For Evloev, this is the first title fight of his career — and a chance to become champion with a perfect record. Volkanovski, one of the greatest featherweights in history, has already come through difficult defeats and returned to the top, so experience is on his side. Stylistically, this is a fascinating matchup: Volkanovski's pressure and striking power against Evloev's wrestling and control.

Petr Yan — Merab Dvalishvili

Date and place: UFC 333, October 24, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Status: bantamweight title, third fight

The two fighters are heading into a trilogy. The score in their rivalry is currently 1-1. Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili first met on March 12, 2023. The bout took place at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas and ended with a unanimous-decision victory for the Georgian fighter. Their second meeting took place on December 7, 2025 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas. Yan got revenge and won the UFC bantamweight title by unanimous decision (scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 48-47). Who will put the final stamp on the rivalry in fight No. 3? We will find out soon!

Emanuel Navarrete — O'Shaquie Foster

Date and place: October 24, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Status: three-belt unification fight at super featherweight

One of the biggest fights of the year in the lighter weight classes. WBO and IBF champion Emanuel Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs) meets WBC titleholder O'Shaquie Foster (25-3, 12 KOs). Three world titles are at stake, and the winner will effectively establish himself as the strongest boxer in the division. Stylistically, it is a classic clash: Navarrete's relentless pressure and punch volume against Foster's distance control, jab and mobility. For the Mexican, this is a second consecutive unification bout — in February he added the IBF belt to his WBO title by knocking out Eduardo Nunez.

Saul Alvarez — Christian Mbilli

Date and place: October 31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Status: WBC super middleweight title

The fight was originally scheduled for September 12 but was postponed because of a delay in Canelo's training camp. The 36-year-old Saul Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), one of the most decorated boxers of the modern era, wants to collect all the belts at super middleweight again. The 31-year-old Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) is an unbeaten French-Cameroonian and the reigning WBC champion, making his first title defense. Mbilli fights in an aggressive style built around pressure and knockout power. Bookmakers consider Canelo the favorite, but Mbilli may be the most dangerous opponent the Mexican has faced in recent years.