Israel Adesanya makes Top 5 most influential MMA stars in 2023

The Mixed Martial Arts industry is home to some of the most famous professional fighters in the world.

Some of these athletes have crossed various divides all across the industry from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and even the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

The UFC is currently the biggest company in the MMA industry and it comes as no surprise that a host of fighters have amassed millions of followers over the years headlining pay-per-views at Sold-out locations.

A new study has now revealed which superstar athletes have the most influence in the Mixed Martial Arts industry.

New study has revealed that Conor McGregor is the most influential Mixed Martial Artist, earning up to $152,576 per sponsored Instagram post.   

Research conducted by MMA experts Middle Easy examined the Instagram profiles of every MMA fighter with a following of over one million, both past and present, to establish which star is the most influential and how much they can earn per sponsored Instagram post.

Below are the top 10 highest-earning MMA stars on Instagram.

Irish MMA star Conor McGregor, known on Instagram as ‘thenotoriousmma’ took the top spot earning a potential $152,576 per sponsored post on Instagram.

 The former UFC champion has amassed a follower count of 46 million, the highest of all the MMA fighters and has an engagement rate of 0.44%.

Recently retired Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov is revealed as the second most influential MMA on Instagram, with an earning potential of $113K per sponsored post thanks to his 34 million followers and one of the highest engagement rates of all the MMA stars at just over 2%.

Taking the third spot is renowned former US MMA star Ronda Rousey who has now turned her skills to WWE. 

She has the third-highest Instagram following with just over 16 million followers and an engagement rate of 0.48%.

 These stats mean she can potentially earn up to $54,260 per Instagram post.

The fourth most influential MMA fighter on Instagram is Nigerian star Israel Adesanya aka  ‘stylebender’. 

With 7 million followers, Israel can expect to earn up to $23,534 per sponsored post.

The final fighter making it into the top five is American MMA star Jon Jones, known by his Instagram handle ‘jonnybones’.

 Famed for becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, he has 6.6 million followers on Instagram and an engagement rate of 1.16%.

 As a result, he can expect to earn $20,231 per sponsored post.