2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
International competitions
Domestic competitions
Men's professional
Men's amateur
Women's professional
Team event
Steeplechases
Flat races
The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events during 2006 in chronological order.
| Date | Event | Alternate Name/s | Location | Attendance | PPV Buyrate | Notes |
| January 16 | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3 | Ultimate Fight Night 3 |  Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 1,008 | — | — |
| February 4 | UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 11,000 | 400,000 | — |
| February 4 | Cage Rage 15: Adrenalin Rush | — |  London, England | — | — | — |
| February 26 | Pride 31: Unbreakable | Pride 31: Dreamers |  Saitama, Japan | — | — | — |
| March 4 | UFC 58: USA vs Canada | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 9,569 | 300,000 | This was the first UFC event to hold a lightweight fight sinceUFC 49. |
| March 10 | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie | — | San Jose, California, USA | 18,265 | — | Strikeforce's first MMA event, after 20 years of kickboxing promotion. The event featuredFrank Shamrock in his first fight since March 2003. |
| March 15 | K-1 Hero's 4 | — | Tokyo, Japan | — | — | — |
| April 2 | Pride Bushido 10 | — | Tokyo, Japan | — | — | — |
| April 6 | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 | Ultimate Fight Night 4 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 843 | — | — |
| April 15 | UFC 59: Reality Check | — | Anaheim, California, USA | 13,814 | 425,000 | — |
| April 22 | Cage Rage 16: Critical Condition | — | London, England | — | — | — |
| April 29 | IFL: Legends Championship 2006 | — | Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA | — | — | IFL's first event; Start of 2006 IFL Season 1. |
| May 3 | K-1 Hero's 5 | — | Tokyo, Japan | — | — | — |
| May 5 | Pride Total Elimination Absolute | — | Osaka, Japan | — | — | Opening round to Pride GP 2006 openweight tournament. |
| May 27 | UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie | — | Los Angeles, California, USA | 14,765 | 620,000 | The event featuredRoyce Gracie's return to the UFC since April 1995. |
| June 3 | IFL: Championship 2006 | — | Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA | — | — | End of 2006 IFL Season 1. |
| June 4 | Pride Bushido Survival 2006 | Pride Bushido 11 Pride Bushido Survival | Saitama, Japan | — | — | Opening round to Pride GP 2006 welterweight tournament. |
| June 9 | Strikeforce: Revenge | — | San Jose, California, USA | 10,374 | — | This event featuredAlistair Overeem's American debut. Prior to this Overeem fought exclusively in Europe and Japan since 1999. |
| June 24 | The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | — | — | Randy "The Natural" Couture was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at this event. |
| June 28 | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 | Ultimate Fight Night 5 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 606 | — | — |
| July 1 | Pride Critical Countdown Absolute | — | Saitama, Japan | — | — | Quarterfinals to Pride GP 2006 openweight tournament. |
| July 1 | Cage Rage 17: Ultimate Challenge | — | London, England | — | — | — |
| July 8 | UFC 61: Bitter Rivals | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 11,167 | 775,000 | — |
| July 22 | WFA: King of the Streets | — | Los Angeles, California, USA | — | — | WFA's last event. The event featuredBas Rutten's only fight after retiring in 1999. |
| August 5 | K-1 Hero's 6 | — | Tokyo, Japan | — | — | — |
| August 17 | UFC Fight Night 6 | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | — | — | — |
| August 26 | UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 9,859 | 500,000 | — |
| August 26 | Pride Bushido 12 | Pride Bushido Survival 2nd Round | Nagoya, Japan | — | — | Quarterfinals to Pride GP 2006 welterweight tournament. |
| September 9 | IFL: Portland | — | Portland, Oregon, USA | — | — | Start of 2006 IFL Season 2. |
| September 10 | Pride Final Conflict Absolute | — | Saitama, Japan | — | — | Semifinals and final to Pride GP 2006 openweight tournament. Mirko Filipović becomes the Pride 2006 openweight Grand Prix champion. |
| September 23 | IFL: Gracie vs. Miletich | — | Moline, Illinois, USA | — | — | — |
| September 23 | UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn | — | Anaheim, California, USA | 12,604 | 400,000 | — |
| September 30 | Cage Rage 18: Battleground | — | London, England | — | — | — |
| October 7 | Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello | — | Fresno, California, USA | 4,437 | — | — |
| October 9 | K-1 Hero's 7 | — | Yokohama, Japan | — | — | — |
| October 10 | Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter | UFC Fight Night 6.5 | Hollywood, Florida, USA | 3,510 | — | This event featured a third fight between,Tito Ortiz andKen Shamrock. The show was aired onSpike TV and received 5.7 million viewers. |
| October 14 | UFC 64: Unstoppable | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 10,173 | 300,000 | — |
| October 21 | Pride 32: The Real Deal | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | 11,727 | 40,000 | This was the first Pride FC event held in the USA. |
| November 2 | IFL: World Championship Semifinals | — | Portland, Oregon, USA | — | — | — |
| November 5 | Pride Bushido 13 | Pride Bushido Survival Finals | Yokohama, Japan | — | — | Semifinals and final to Pride GP 2006 welterweight tournament. Kazuo Misaki becomes the Pride 2006 welterweight Grand Prix champion. |
| November 11 | The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale | — | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | — | — | — |
| November 11 | K-1 Hero's Lithuania 2006 | — |  Lithuania | — | — | — |
| November 18 | UFC 65: Bad Intentions | — | Sacramento, California, USA | 14,666 | 500,000 | — |
| December 8 | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | — | San Jose, California, USA | 8,701 | — | This event featured one of the first major women's MMA bouts. BetweenGina Carano andElaina Maxwell. |
| December 13 | UFC Fight Night: Sanchez vs Riggs | UFC Fight Night 7 | San Diego, California, USA | — | — | — |
| December 29 | IFL: Championship Final | — | Uncasville, Connecticut, USA | — | — | End of 2006 IFL Season 2. |
| December 30 | UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 | — | Paradise, Nevada, USA | 13,761 | 1,050,000 | This is the first MMA event to receive over a millionPPV buys. |
| December 31 | Pride Shockwave 2006 | — | Saitama, Japan | 48,709 | — | — |
| December 31 | K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! | — | Osaka, Japan | 51,930 | — | Event featured tenK-1 Hero's MMA bouts and fourK-1 kickboxing bouts. |
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