Ilia Topuria, the new face of MMA: becomes the most followed active fighter

Since Ilia Topuria became the featherweight champion (145 pounds or 65.8 kilos) in 2024, many began to see his potential as a star. It was still early days, but his skills, his ability to sell fights, and his constant doubling down convinced the crowd that he would sooner rather than later be one of the faces of the UFC . He has already achieved stardom by occupying the throne at 145 pounds. His victory over Max Holloway confirmed his status as a superstar.

Since then, everything surrounding Ilia Topuria has been synonymous with success. When he confirmed his move up to lightweight (155 pounds or 70.3 kilos), the mixed martial arts (MMA) world came to a standstill. Everyone wanted to see the fight with Islam Makhachev . Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. During that time, El Matador went on an interview tour across the United States, appearing on the world's most listened-to podcast, Joe Rogan's. Here, Topuria's importance in the world of MMA was evident. In a short time, he reached millions of views , surpassing other interviews such as Max Holloway or Belal Muhammad.

Now, in the months leading up to his fight against Charles Oliveira, his every statement made headlines. Little by little, his Instagram following grew. On Monday, after making history by knocking out the Brazilian and becoming a double champion , he reached 10.5 million Instagram followers. With this figure, he surpassed Islam Makhachev's 10.4 million followers, marking a turning point. Ilia Topuria became the active fighter with the most followers on the American company .

Ahead of him are retired fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ronda Roussey. Of course, the sport's biggest star, Conor McGregor, is also ahead of him, but despite not having officially announced his retirement, no one expects his return. But it doesn't end there. On a social level, in terms of public fame, it's clear that he's the face of the UFC and, consequently, of MMA, but recently he's also become one in sports .

His latest performance has placed him at number one in the pound-for-pound rankings , also surpassing Islam Makhachev. This ranking ranks fighters based on merit, regardless of weight class. This makes the Spanish-Georgian the best fighter in the UFC today . Ultimately, both in terms of sporting merit and media exposure, Ilia Topuria is the face of MMA.