The Topuria effect, Spanish MMA takes over Instagram
Ilia Topuria has taken Spanish MMA somewhere it had never been. We look at the ranking of Spain's fighters and the new generation coming up behind him.
October 22, 2026 · MVP Rankings
A few years ago, no Spanish mixed martial artist appeared on any list of the most followed athletes. Today Spain's No. 1 MMA fighter plays in the same league as the world's biggest sports stars.
- 1
Ilia Topuria@iliatopuria18.9M - 2
Aleksandre Topuria@aleksandre_topuria1.3M - 3
Franco Tenaglia@fran_tenaglia578K - 4
Joel Álvarez@joelelfenomenoalvarez221K - 5
Alina Dalaslan@alinadalaslan169K - 6
Ander Fighter@anderfighter142K - 7
Enrique Kakulov@enriquekakulov98K - 8
Dani Bárez@danibarez92K - 9
Juan Espino@juan_espino_oficial87K - 10
Hecher Sosa@hechersosa82K
A jump in scale
Ilia Topuria has 18.9M followers and sits at No. 441 in the all-category world ranking. His rise in the UFC, where he became champion in 2024, came with audience growth rarely seen for a European combat sports athlete. His brother Aleksandre Topuria (1.3M) is the second most followed account in Spanish MMA.
The new generation
Behind the Topurias there is a fast-growing scene, with fighters competing in the UFC, the PFL and Europe's big leagues, and a growing number of women in the ranking. Many mix fights with training, travel and day-to-day content, which is exactly what keeps the fans who arrive for one bout.
Why MMA grows so fast on social media
- Every fight is an event. The calendar of big cards creates attention spikes every few weeks.
- Fighters are their own media. They announce fights, call out rivals and tell their camp in the first person.
- The audience is young. MMA connects with the age group that uses Instagram the most.
How to get into the ranking
MVP's MMA rankings only include accounts verified on Instagram's official API with at least 30,000 followers. If you are a fighter, or know someone who should be here, submit them. See also the world MMA ranking and the European one.