The popularity of Mixed Martial Arts has been growing steadily over the last couple of decades. Social Media has also seen a lot of growth and has played a huge role in MMA’s success. Mixed Martial Arts is a global sport enjoyed in many different countries and cultures. We see fighters from all around the world, and with them comes their fan base. Establishing themselves on Social Platforms helps fans stay up to date on fighters when they aren’t fighting.
Expanding Your Platform
Social Media is a great tool for MMA Athletes who want to expand their reach and be able to engage with fans. Most UFC fighters only fight a few times per year. They will typically see the most growth on social media around their scheduled fights. This is due to interviews they have and general promotion for their fight. Fight promotions and media outlets will typically tag fighters in social posts to help increase reach. Many fighters view the UFC as a platform that can help them grow as a social media personality or influencer. Having success doing so can help increase their earning potential inside and outside of the UFC.
Sponsorships through Social Media
A few years ago the UFC made a deal with Reebok to provide fight gear for all UFC fighters as well as sponsorships. Before this deal took place, fighters had the opportunity to choose their own fight gear and sponsors. While this was good for some, many UFC fighters lost a lot of potential money through sponsorships. Some fighters, unhappy with their decrease in earning potential sought other fight promotions. Ones that would allow them to keep their sponsors. This was a huge financial hit for some, however a lot of UFC fighters turned to Social Media to keep their sponsors. They wouldn’t be able to promote brands in the UFC anymore, but they could promote those brands to their social media followings. A great example of this is Page VanZant who had a stint on Dancing with the Stars. She claimed to make more posting on Instagram than she ever did in the UFC.
UFC Fighters who are Influencers
There are some other great examples of UFC Fighters who have truly expanded their platform with Social Media. “Sugar” Sean O’Malley has gained a lot of popularity recently. The power of Social Media has helped his growth tremendously. This is not by mistake, O’Malley is doing a lot outside of fighting for the UFC.
A few years ago he had a viral knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series. Not only did this get him a UFC contract, it also helped explode his popularity. O’Malley has seen a lot of growth on his Twitch channel since entering the UFC. He also has grown a YouTube channel to over 190 thousand subscribers. O’Malley is also one of a few dozen UFC Fighters to surpass 1 million followers on Instagram. You can see sponsors being promoted through social media in a variety of ways.
There are some other excellent examples of Mixed Martial Arts Influencers using social platforms to extend their brand. Stephen Thompson is one of few fighters to post videos regularly on YouTube. He has gained over 200 thousand subscribers and 10 million channel views. He posts a variety of martial arts content including tutorials and how-to videos.
The best example may be Conor McGregor who is arguably bigger than the UFC. He has almost double the UFC’s Instagram following at over 36 million followers. He also more Twitter followers than the MMA promotion that helped make him famous.
Life After Fighting
One thing a lot of fighters are learning is there is not much for them after they retire. Some fighters transition into coaching or running a Mixed Martial Arts gym. It’s also common for some fighters to work for promotions in other roles like commentary or administration. Not all fighters get these opportunities, and a lot of them get regular jobs after retiring. Fighters who have established themselves as a brand have an easier time transitioning into other fields. Creating income sources outside of the UFC can help make retirement easier. Social Media is one of the best ways for fighters to do this.
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