Despite having not fought since July 2021, Conor McGregor remains the most popular UFC fighter in the world based off Instagram followers. Join us as we examine the Top 25 most followed UFC fighters in the world on Instagram.
Note that this list doesn’t include any fighter who has officially retired. This includes the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, George St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Daniel Cormier to name but a few. Not to mention the likes of Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal who no longer compete in the UFC.
Conor McGregor Boasts Over 47 Million Instagram Followers
It is apparent that Conor McGregor is on a whole other stratosphere when it comes to popularity amongst UFC fighters.
The former history-making, two-division simultaneous champion, boasts a grand total of 47.4 million followers on his Instagram account @thenotoriousmma. McGregor actually describes himself in his Instagram bio as ‘the face of the fight game’, and he certainly isn’t wrong.
The Irishman completely transcended the sport of MMA. Yes, it was always big, but Conor McGregor brought MMA and the UFC to a totally new level. It won’t take long for McGregor to hit the 50 million followers mark – which would make him the first MMA fighter to do so in history.
Due to his rivalries with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz, his demolition of Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone and becoming the first ever two-weight simultaneous UFC champion, it comes as no surprise whatsoever to learn that Conor McGregor is tops the list of the most followed UFC fighters worldwide.
Should ‘The Notorious’ return to the octagon, his popularity could grow even further. UFC President Dana White will be hoping that McGregor returns to the cage in 2025, that is for sure. He is the biggest cash cow for the UFC and would once again take the UFC brand to a whole new level.
Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev & Khamzat Chimaev All Follow McGregor As Most Followed UFC Fighters Globally
Conor McGregor is of course head and shoulders above any of his contemporaries when it comes to popularity amongst UFC fighters. McGregor currently boasts over 38 million more followers than the second most followed UFC fighters.
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, undefeated UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev and reigning 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev all boast a similar number of Instagram followers as of today.
Their popularity and skills inside the octagon clearly translate to followers on social media. All three names are some of the biggest on the entire UFC roster, which is backed up as some of the most followed UFC fighters in the world right now.
Jon Jones has been a UFC fighter for over a decade now, so it comes as no surprise to see him near the top of this list with 9.2 million followers. Given the fact he is widely recognised as the greatest fighter of all time, he had to be near the top of the list.
The same can be said for Islam Makhachev, who has the potential to get even more popular. He is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world right now and is a current UFC champion. Should he remain at the top of the lightweight division for a whole, his popularity and following will grow even more.
Khamzat Chimaev is another name that is extremely popular amongst UFC fans right now, which seemingly also translates into a huge social media following. Chimaev boasts 8.7 million Instagram followers as of today, which cements his as the fourth most followed UFC fighter right now.
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Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, & Ilia Topuria Also Make Top 10 Most Followed UFC Fighters On Instagram
Some other huge names in the UFC have also make it into the Top 10 most followed UFC fighters on Instagram as of today. In fact, the entire Top 25 list (see below) is a ‘who’s who’ of big names and stars from MMA.
None more so than reigning UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira. Pereira is a two-weight world champion in his own right, just like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, and comes in as the eighth most popular UFC fighter on Instagram as of today with 5.6 million followers.
Alex Pereira‘s popularity will continue to grow at a rapid rate, given how he has performed lately inside the octagon. Fellow Brazilian Charles Oliveira also makes the Top 10 of the most followed UFC fighters on Instagram, coming in at sixth with 7.8 million followers.
Similarly, Israel Adesanya enjoyed a long reign as the king at 185-pounds. This will have in turn helped increase his popularity massively on Instagram and other social media platforms. He currently sits at number five on the most followed UFC fighters list.
Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway also makes the Top 10 with 4.6 million Instagram followers. So to does Dustin Poirier, who boasts 5.3 million Instagram followers. Not to mention reigning UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria who himself has upward of 5.4 million followers on Instagram.
That makes up the Top 10 most followed UFC fighters in the world right now. Below is a full list of the Top 25 most popular UFC fighters according to their Instagram following. This will undoubtedly change a lot over the next few months and years, but these numbers are correct as of today.
Top 25 Most Followed UFC Fighters On Instagram 2024
| Rank | UFC Fighter | Followers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Conor McGregor | 47.4 million |
| 2. | Jon Jones | 9.2 million |
| 3. | Islam Makhachev | 8.8 million |
| 4. | Khamzat Chimaev | 8.7 million |
| 5. | Israel Adesanya | 8.6 million |
| 6. | Charles Oliveira | 7.8 million |
| 7. | Ilia Topuria | 5.8 million |
| 8. | Alex Pereira | 5.6 million |
| 9. | Dustin Poirier | 5.3 million |
| 10. | Max Holloway | 4.6 million |
| 11. | Sean O’Malley | 4.5 million |
| 12. | Zubaira Tukhugov | 3.9 million |
| 13. | Kamaru Usman | 3.7 million |
| 14. | Paddy Pimblett | 3.2 million |
| 15. | Jose Aldo | 3 million |
| 16. | Cody Garbrandt | 2.7 million |
| 17. | Valentina Shevchenko | 2.7 million |
| 18. | Alexander Volkanovski | 2.5 million |
| 19. | Sean Strickland | 2.4 million |
| 20. | Rose Namajunas | 2.3 million |
| 21. | Justin Gaethje | 2.3 million |
| 22. | Brandon Moreno | 2.2 million |
| 23. | Derrick Lewis | 2.2 million |
| 24. | Miesha Tate | 2 million |
| 25. | Michael Chandler | 2 million |
