One of the most used social media platforms, Instagram, has been continuously growing in popularity since its arrival in 2010. Billions of people currently use Instagram and it is no surprise that celebrities and sports athletes also use this social media app constantly and engage with their fans. Many of the UFC fighters are also quite popular on Instagram and have millions of followers. Let’s have a look at the fighters who have the most number of followers on Instagram.
Anderson Silva – 4.9 Million
The Brazilian legend Anderson Silva holds the record for the longest title reign and 16 consecutive wins in UFC history. Silva not only made a big name in the UFC, but before this, he had an amazing stint at Pride FC. Silva is truly a legendary MMA fighter and is still loved by fans. He currently competes in boxing.
Khamzat Chimaev – 6 Million
The 29-year-old Swedish UFC fighter is one of the most incredible prospects in the promotion. He has defeated all of his opponents till now in his professional MMA career, and his winning streak in the UFC continues. “Borz” has the potential to become a champion in multiple divisions and could be one of the biggest stars to come out of UFC in a few years. He also holds the record for the fastest consecutive wins and the fastest three-fight wins in modern UFC history.
Islam Makhachev – 6.6 Million
Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is currently on a 12-fight win streak and won the title in an impressive way last year by making Charles Oliveira submit in the second round at UFC 280. Just like his long-time buddy and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam is from Dagestan and has also been a former Combat Sambo world champion. The 31-year-old holds the record for the fewest significant strikes per minute in UFC history in the lightweight division.
Nate Diaz – 6.7 Million
“The Stockton Slugger” has a massive fan following on Instagram. He gained popularity after his fight with McGregor. He has often been the subject of controversy, so it’s no surprise that most of the photos of Diaz show him throwing up gangster hand signs, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or training with his brothers. Diaz has the fourth most submissions in UFC history and won his last fight in the UFC via submission against Tony Ferguson.
Charles Oliveira – 7.2 Million
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu master is one of the most entertaining fighters ever to fight in the octagon. “Do Bronx” is a former UFC Lightweight Champion, and he gained a lot of popularity after his recent TKO win against Benel Dariush at UFC 289. He knocked out his opponent in the first round. Charles has a good record in the UFC and has the most submissions (16) in UFC history.
Jon Jones – 7.9 Million
The Current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, is without a doubt the greatest UFC fighter of all time. “Bones” has not lost a single fight in the UFC till now. However, one of his wins was changed to no contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance. Jones is on a 13-fight winning streak and if he continues to fight incredibly well, he can break Silva’s record of 16-fight winning streak. Jones is often dubbed “G.O.A.T” by UFC fans and he is quite popular on social media.
Israel Adesanya – 8.4 Million
Adesanya is currently one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC. He gained a huge fan following after defeating Alex Pereira at UFC earlier this year. Till now, “The Last Stylebender” has lost only three fights in UFC. One more reason Israel gained popularity was because of his love for anime. He is a big fan of Rock Lee, who is one of the characters in the Naruto anime series. He often poses like him in the octagon during the fight.
Ronda Rousey – 17.5 Million
In November 2012, Ronda Rousey was the first female fighter to sign with the UFC. She also became the first UFC women’s bantamweight champion when UFC President Dana White made the announcement at the pre-fight press conference. “Rowdy” had a great run at the UFC, and she also holds the record for most title defenses by a female. She retired from UFC after losing two consecutive fights. First, she lost her title to Holly Holm, and then she lost a fight for the Women’s bantamweight championship to Amanda Dunes. Ronda then entered the WWE and had an amazing stint there too. She is the most followed MMA fighter on Instagram.
Khabib Nurmagomedov – 35.1 Million
Khabib is not only famous in his native Russia but all over the world. He was the most dominant fighter in the history of the UFC. “The Eagle” never bled inside the Octagon and retired without losing a single fight in his professional MMA career. He already has a massive fan following on Instagram, but what took him to the heights of superstardom was his win against Irishman Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018. Although Khabib is retired from UFC, he still has a major fan following on social media.
Conor McGregor – 46.8 Million
The UFC star Conor McGregor is the main reason for the rise in popularity of UFC and MMA. The credit truly goes to McGregor, and that you can see because he is the most followed MMA fighter on Instagram. McGregor’s skills on the mic and ability to back him up made him a superstar, as he became the first simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC. When he defeated Jose Aldo by knocking him out in just 13 seconds to become the undisputed UFC featherweight champion, Conor gained a massive fan following. He then defeated Eddie Alvarez to become the Lightweight Champion.
Also Read:- List of Highest Paid Fighters in the UFC
