Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev Closing In On Conor McGregor As Most Followed UFC Fighters On Instagram

As the most recent two-division UFC champion, Ilia Topuria has become the second most followed UFC fighter on Instagram.

Join us as we examine the Top 25 most followed UFC fighters in the world based on their social media popularity. Note that this list doesn’t include any fighter who has officially retired or no longer compete under the UFC banner.

This includes the likes of Jon Jones, 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 Remains Most Followed UFC Fighter On Instagram With 46M+ 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 46.5m followers on his Instagram account. 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 McGregor brought MMA and the UFC to a totally new level.

Peak Conor McGregor was absolutely glorious…

He absolutely terrorised Aldo for months, stealing his belt over & over again.

Then knocked him out in 13 seconds 😂😂😂

📹 @SportsCenterpic.twitter.com/Cgq8Ibt58H

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) June 7, 2020

Due to his rivalries with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz, his demolitions of Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone and becoming the first ever two-weight simultaneous UFC champion, it comes as no surprise to learn that McGregor tops the list of the most followed UFC fighters worldwide.

With Michael Chandler confirming UFC White House will see him fight ‘Notorious’, the Irishman’s popularity could grow even further. UFC President Dana White will be hoping that McGregor returns to the cage in 2026, that is for sure.

Despite his absence from the cage, McGregor remains the single biggest cash cow for the UFC and would once again take the UFC brand to a whole new level.

That being said, Conor McGregor’s controversies continue to mount up. A return to the cage would be a welcomed distraction, with the Irishman facing several battles outside of the octagon now too.

Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev & Khamzat Chimaev Trail 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 30m more followers than the second most followed UFC fighter – Ilia Topuria.

Outside of the octagon Topuria’s wife filed for divorce, but inside the cage is is an undefeated two-division UFC champion, who now boasts over 12.4m Instagram followers.

I won’t be fighting in the first quarter of next year. I’m going through a difficult moment in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible.
I don’t want to hold up the division. The UFC will make the matchups needed, and as soon…

— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) November 27, 2025

Following the retirement of the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev is now the third most popular UFC fighter based on Instagram followers as of today. He boasts over 12m followers, making up the top 3 alongside McGregor and Topuria.

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.

Both Topuria and Makhachev top the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings, making them both extremely talented and popular. It comes as no surprise to see them right at the top of the list of the most followed UFC fighters today.

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 over 11.4m Instagram followers as of today, which cements him as the fourth most followed UFC fighter.

Making up the top five is former lightweight king Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian has an Instagram following of 8.9m, making ‘Do Bronx’ not only a world class athlete, but a fan-favourite too.

Who is next ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/dkv0gVciac

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 24, 2025

Paddy Pimblett, Alex Pereira, & Israel Adesanya Also Make Top 10 Most Followed UFC Fighters

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, Jon Jones and Ilia Topuria.

‘Poatan’ is a complete superstar and could even go on to be a three-division UFC king in the future. He boasts over 7.7m Instagram followers. Pereira’s popularity will continue to grow at a rapid rate, given how he has performed lately inside the octagon.

 

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A post shared by Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@alexpoatanpereira)

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 six on the most followed UFC fighters list with 8.3m.

Paddy Pimblett has also broken into the Top 10 most followed UFC fighters on Instagram. Pimblett’s UFC Lightweight Title shot was confirmed for UFC 324 against Justin Gaethje, and with 4.8m Instagram followers he will have plenty of backers come fight night.

Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway also makes the Top 10 with 4.8m Instagram followers. So to does Dustin Poirier, who boasts 5.6m Instagram followers.

That makes up the Top 10 most followed UFC fighters in the world right now.

 

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A post shared by Paddy THE BADDY Pimblett (@theufcbaddy)

Sean O’Malley, Alexander Volkanovski & Justin Gaethje All In Top 25 Most Followed UFC Fighters On Instagram

The remainder of the Top 25 most followed UFC fighters on Instagram also includes some of the biggest names and most successful fighters in the sport of MMA today.

Former UFC bantamweight king Sean O’Malley just misses out on the Top 10 with 4.7m Instagram followers. Other former UFC champions such as Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, Cody Garbrandt, Brandon Moreno and Sean Strickland all make it into the Top 25 too.

Reigning women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko also features on the list of the the most followed UFC fighters. ‘The Bullet’ is one of only two female MMA fighters who make it onto this list.

There are plenty of other big names on the list, with some big notable omissions too.

 

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A post shared by Tom Aspinall (@tomaspinallofficial)

UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall narrowly misses out. His popularity only rose after several ‘Performance of the Night’ showings, with the Englishman taking home several UFC bonuses to date.

Undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov also misses out, as do several other big names like Ian Garry, Magomed Ankalaev, Mackenzie Dern and Alexandre Pantoja to name but a few.

Top 25 Most Followed UFC Fighters On Instagram 2025

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.