2026 UFL Week 8: How To Watch, What To Know, Biggest Storylines

Week 8 of the UFL season kicks off Friday with a four-game slate spread across the weekend: one matchup Friday night, a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday finale. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and Curt Menefee return to the booth for another edition of UFL Friday, the league’s weekly primetime showcase airing every Friday on FOX throughout the 10-week regular season. All 40 regular-season games — plus the playoffs on June 7 and the championship game on June 13 — will be televised across FOX, FS1, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network. Games will also be available to stream on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports app and FOX One. Here are the full regular-season schedules for every team. Here’s everything to know about Week 8: Week 8 (May 15–17) Orlando Storm (5-2) at Dallas Renegades (3-4) Key players: Storm QB Jack Plummer, WR Elijhah Badger; Renegades QB Austin Reed, WR Tyler Vaughns What to know: Orlando quarterback Jack Plummer will look to build off his two-touchdown performance last weekend in a narrow win over the Houston Gamblers. That victory helped improve the Storms’ record to 5-2, good for a three-way tie atop the league standings. Orlando will now head to Dallas to battle the Renegades, a team looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Birmingham Stallions. The Renegades let another one slip away last week. Quarterback Austin Reed and the offense unraveled in overtime for their fourth straight loss. Now, the Renegades face an even steeper challenge against an Orlando team that is tied atop the league standings. DC Defenders (5-2) at Louisville Kings (3-4) Key players: Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu, RB Deon Jackson; Kings QB Chandler Rogers, WR Isaiah Winstead What to know: The Defenders suffered their first loss since Week 1 in a 30-13 defeat to the Louisville Kings last weekend. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu still powered the offense through the air, throwing for 353 yards on 18-of-33 passing, but a sluggish run game and two costly interceptions kept DC from finding its rhythm. Now, the Defenders get an immediate shot at redemption, where their high-tempo offense will look to get back on track. The Kings bounced back last week, rolling past the Defenders behind another efficient performance from quarterback Chandler Rogers. Rogers completed 17 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while Louisville piled up 345 total yards and held one of the UFL’s top offenses to its second-lowest point total of the season. Now, the Kings will try to keep that momentum going in a Week 8 rematch, with Ta’amu and the Defenders coming in motivated for revenge. Houston Gamblers (2-5) at St. Louis Battlehawks (5-2) Key players: Gamblers QB Hunter Dekkers, WR Lawrence Keys III; Battlehawks QB Luis Perez, RB Jarveon Howard What to know: The Gamblers are also coming off a heartbreaking loss, falling 24-23 to the Storm after a missed potential game-winning field goal in the final moments. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers threw for 268 yards and an interception as Houston battled back after a slow start and trimmed a double-digit deficit to four. A 49-yard pass from backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee to wide receiver Jalen White set the Gamblers up for a late go-ahead score, but a missed 29-yard kick sealed Houston’s defeat. St. Louis is coming off a dominant 31-20 win over the Aviators behind a strong performance from quarterback Luis Perez. The Battlehawks jumped out to a 24-7 lead and controlled the game from start to finish, holding off a second-half push from Columbus. St. Louis leaned on a balanced offensive attack, totaling 198 passing yards and 108 rushing yards while scoring three touchdowns on the ground. Columbus Aviators (2-5) at Birmingham Stallions (3-4) Key players: Aviators QB Jalan McClendon, WR Tay Martin; Stallions QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, WR Justyn Ross What to know: Columbus fell to the Battlehawks 31-20 last week, dropping to 2-5 on the season. The Aviators now head south looking to bounce back, but they’ll face a Stallions team coming off a dramatic overtime comeback victory. Despite the loss, Columbus showed flashes offensively, as quarterback Jalan McClendon threw for two touchdowns while completing 20 of 28 passes for 152 yards. Still, missed opportunities in the red zone ultimately proved costly. Birmingham rallied past the Renegades at home last week, winning in overtime after quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson connected with Jaydon Mickens on the game-winning two-point conversion. The Stallions finished with 296 total yards and used a late fourth-quarter surge — along with a missed Dallas field goal — to complete the comeback. Still, if Birmingham wants to stay in the playoff race, its passing attack will need to be far more efficient moving forward. Single-game, season and group tickets are available now at www.theufl.com/tickets.