UFC

Who Gained The Most Instagram Followers From UFC 305? Title Defence Sees Du Plessis Gain Over 100,000 New Fans

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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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Published20 Aug 2024

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UFC 305 Instagram Followers

Which fighters gained the most Instagram followers from UFC 305 over the weekend? Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis benefitted the most, with fellow main card winner Dan Hooker following in second place.

The UFC returned with UFC 305 over the weekend, where Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya headlined the event as they went head-to-head in a middleweight championship bout, live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Defending champion, du Plessis, successfully retained his crown despite Adesanya being narrowly favoured among bookmakers heading into the clash, with the South African securing the win via submission in the fourth round.

Elsewhere on the main card, Kai Kara-France got the best of Steve Erceg, Dan Hooker defeated Mateusz Gamrot, Jairzinho Rozenstruik overcame Tai Tuivasa, and Carlos Prates came out on top in a welterweight battle against Li Jingliang.

Following Saturday night’s action, we at SportsCasting are taking a look at all 24 UFC 305 fighters’ Instagram accounts, as we investigate who gained the most followers thanks to the event held Down Under.

How Many Instagram Followers Did Fighters Gain From UFC 305?

  1. Dricus du Plessis (@dricusduplessis): +108,848
  2. Dan Hooker (@danhangman): +72,455
  3. Israel Adesanya (@stylebender): +38,232
  4. Carlos Prates (@thenightmare_170): +28,446
  5. Kai Kara-France (@kaikarafrance): +24,837
  6. Tai Tuivasa (@bambamtuivasa): +10,817
  7. Jack Jenkins (@pharjack): +10,324
  8. Steve Erceg (@steveerceg): +9,072
  9. Luana Santos (@luanasantosmma): +6,637
  10. Valter Walker (@valterwalkerufc): +5,332
  11. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (@jairzinho.rozenstruik): +5,156
  12. Casey O’Neill (@kingcaseymma): +5,040
  13. Mateusz Gamrot (@mateusz_gamrot): +3,558
  14. Li Jingliang (@lijingliangmma): +3,301
  15. Junior Tafa (@junior.tafa): +3,176
  16. Jesus Aguilar (@jesusaguilar.ufcmx): +2,474
  17. Joshua Culibao (@joshculibao): +1,454
  18. Tom Nolan (@bigtrainufc): +1,154
  19. Ricardo Ramos (@ricardoramosmma): +720
  20. Alex Reyes (@executioner155): +184
  21. Herbert Burns (@herbertburns): +163
  22. Ricky Glenn (@gladiatormma): +125
  23. Stewart Nicoll (@stewart_nicoll): +108
  24. Song Kenan (@kenan.song.7): Data Unavailable

Note: Follow gain is measured between Wednesday, August 14 and Tuesday, August 20 via SocialBlade, and figures are accurate as of August 20, 2024.

Which UFC 305 Fighter Gained The Most Instagram Followers?

Perhaps unsurprisingly given his victory in the headliner, UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis gained the most Instagram followers thanks to UFC 305, with more than 100,000 following his account in the lead-up, during, and following the event. The South African’s total follower count now sits just shy of 600,000, at around 585,000.

Boasting close to 9 million followers on his account, many would’ve anticipated Israel Adesanya to gain the second-most followers from the event. However, he has been pipped to that spot by New Zealand fighter Dan Hooker, who beat Mateusz Gamrot via split decision.

Hooker, whose fight against Gamrot earned him a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus, has seen a huge boost in followers on his account since his victory, adding more than 70,000 to take his total follower count to around 585,000.

Although he has missed out on second place in the list, as expected, Adesanya has added enough followers to secure a spot in our top three. The Nigerian-born fighter’s follower count has increased by close to 40,000 thanks to UFC 305, with his account now sitting at over 8.7 million followers.

Also enjoying notable follower increases are main card winners Carlos Prates and Kai Kara-France, who both won a $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Prates’ second round win over Li Jingliang saw more than 28,000 MMA fans follow his Instagram account, while just shy of 25,000 followed Kara-France’s after his victory over Steve Erceg.

Making up the top 10, main card fighters Tai Tuivasa (+10,817) and Erceg (+9,072) gained several thousand followers, and so did preliminary card trio Jack Jenkins (+10,324), Luana Santos (+6,637), and Valter Walker (+5,332).