UFC

Which Fighters Gained The Most Instagram Followers From UFC 304?

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Cai Parry
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Cai Parry Sports Editor

Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.

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Published31 Jul 2024

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UFC 304 Instagram Followers

Which fighters gained the most Instagram followers at UFC 304 last weekend? Unsurprisingly, main card winners Belal Muhammad and Paddy Pimblett make the top three, however there is a surprise inclusion at number one.

The UFC returned to the United Kingdom over the weekend, as UFC 304 took place at the brand new Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, where British stars Paddy Pimblett, Tom Aspinall, Leon Edwards, and Molly McCann all took to the octagon.

In the headliner, Edwards was beaten by Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision, seeing Muhammad be crowned the new UFC Welterweight Champion, while Aspinall retained his interim UFC Heavyweight title after beating Curtis Blaydes thanks to a first round knockout in the co-headliner.

Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett also reigned triumphant, besting King Green via technical submission in the first round, with Gregory Rodrigues and Arnold Allen coming out on top in the other two main card bouts.

Following the action, we at SportsCasting are taking a deep dive into all 28 fighters’ Instagram accounts in order to uncover which star gained the most followers thanks to the British-hosted event.

How Many Instagram Followers Did Fighters Gain From UFC 304?

  1. Muhammad Mokaev (@mokaev_muhammad): +556,523
  2. Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170): +281,397
  3. Paddy Pimblett (@theufcbaddy): +192,977
  4. Tom Aspinall (@tomaspinallofficial): +137,952
  5. Leon Edwards (@leonedwardsmma): +17,214
  6. Arnold Allen (@arnoldbfa): +12,911
  7. Shauna Bannon (@shaunabannon_): +12,501
  8. Bruna Brasil (@brunabrasilmma): +10,584
  9. Molly McCann (@meatballmolly): +10,447
  10. Curtis Blaydes (@razorblaydes265): +8,279
  11. Manel Kape (@manelkape): +7,161
  12. Bobby Green (@bobbykinggreen): +6,483
  13. Alice Ardelean (@aliceardelean): +4,718
  14. Gregory Rodrigues (@gregoryrodriguesmma): +3,071
  15. Mick Parkin (@mickparkin95): +3,022
  16. Nathaniel Wood (@theprospectmma): +2,459
  17. Oban Elliott (@obanelliott): +2,431
  18. Kiefer Crosbie (@kiefercrosbie_mma): +2,161
  19. Modestas Bukauskas (@modyb24): +1,245
  20. Jake Hadley (@jakehadleymma): +1,059
  21. Giga Chikadze (@knockoutcancer): +823
  22. Christian Leroy Duncan (@christianleroyduncan): +675
  23. Preston Parsons (@p_parsonsmma): +450
  24. Lukasz Brzeski (@lukaszbrzeskimma): +202
  25. Marcin Prachnio (@marcinprachnio): +142
  26. Daniel Pineda (@danielpitpineda): Data Unavailable
  27. Caolan Loughran (@doncaolan135): Data Unavailable
  28. Sam Patterson (@sampatterson155): Data Unavailable

Note: Follow gain is measured between Wednesday, July 24 and Tuesday, July 30 via SocialBlade, and figures are accurate as of July 30, 2024.

Which UFC 304 Fighter Gained The Most Instagram Followers?

A man who regularly dominates the headlines in the UK, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett had the third highest growth in Instagram followers after gaining more than 190,000. Pimblett, who won the $200,000 Performance of the Night bonus, also has the highest overall following among UFC 304 fighters on the platform, boasting an incredible 3.1 million followers.

Pipping him to second place, and perhaps unsurprisingly given he defied the odds to win the headline fight, is Belal ‘Remember the Name’ Muhammad, who has gained more than 280,000 followers on his account in the lead-up and following UFC 304. The new UFC Welterweight Champion has increased his follower count to over 815,000.

Another notable gain came for Tom Aspinall, who won an extra $100,000 for his performance against Curtis Blaydes, as he increased his follower count by the fourth highest amount with more than 130,000, however you’d have to multiply this more than four times in order to surpass the follower gain of our surprise first place inclusion.

The surprise inclusion is none other than Muhammad Mokaev, who defeated Manel Kape via unanimous decision in the preliminary card opener. Despite winning and boasting an undefeated record, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Mokaev’s contract would not be renewed for “many different reasons,” with some implying that his fighting style and outside-the-cage issues are factors.

Regardless, the Dagestan-born flyweight has gained more than 550,000 followers thanks to UFC 304, over 270,000 more than second-place Belal, taking his total follower count to an impressive 1.8 million.

Elsewhere on the list, fifth through ninth all gained between 10,000 and 18,000 followers, in the order of Leon Edwards, Arnold Allen, Shauna Bannon, Bruna Brasil, and Molly McCann, while the defeated co-headliner Blaydes makes up the top 10 having added just over 8,000 followers.