Without a doubt, Ilia Topuria has become one of the biggest names in sport in recent years and the statistics prove it.
The undefeated star has already achieved incredible things in the Octagon and it is clear that he has connected himself with fans in a way that a few have in the past.
At UFC 317, the former Vederweight champion will want to continue his remarkable turnout when Topuria is confronted with Charles Oliveira for the empty lightweight title.
With a few big opponents in store for Topuria if he is successful on 28 June, it seems that his stock will only continue to climb if he is able to continue to deliver in the Octagon.
While Topuria still has a number of great achievements in his sights, social media statistics show that he will soon participate in the biggest names in the history of sport.
Ilia Topuria on schedule to only become the fifth UFC hunter who surpasses 10 million Instagram followers
When Ilia Topuria won the featherweight title and brought the belt home to Spain, where he received a remarkably welcome, it was clear that the UFC had a new superstar.
With the support of both Spain and Georgia behind him, his potential to become a face of the promotion was clear during his rise of the 145-pound division.
Topuria had already gathered a huge following on social media before he held UFC Gold and after his incredible performances against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, who just kept climbing.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The Build to UFC 317 also had a significant impact on his stock with fans who are preparing for a blockbuster main event for the empty lightweight belt, while the MMA broke off the red corner.
The Instagram of Topuria has grown considerably in recent days, so that he had now affected a total of 9.5 million followers, with sufficient time to keep getting up prior to Fight Night.
This means that he has now surpassed the next (9.4 million) of Jon Jones, and he will probably only be the fifth UFC hunter to surpass 10 million, with only Conor McGregor (46.4), Ronda Rousey (17.1), Khabib Nurmagomedov (39.6) and Islam) this performance.
The Instagram growth of Topuria has been raised in recent days. He received 844k followers on June 23, 367k on June 24 and 460k on June 26. The sudden peak has pushed its numbers to 9.5 million. With this pace he has now overtaken Jon Jones (9.4 m) and is about to become … pic.twitter.com/5vj4vbnmhd
– Red Corner MMA (@redcorner_Mma) 27 June 2025
View tweet
Ilia Topuria has different ways in which he can push his star status even further
Every rising star needs suitable opponents and rivals to keep increasing their career, something that Ilia Topuria is not inadequate.
If he leaves UFC 317 with the lightweight title, the profile of Topuria will only continue to climb, especially when he can hold this momentum with various huge battles on the horizon.
A matchup with Justin Gaethje would absolutely be dynamite, but fights with his rivals, Islam Makhachev and Paddy Pimblett, who are two of the other biggest names in the sport, would bring things to a different level.
Not to mention a potential home fight in Spain with which 'El Matador' could break a new land and really prove how big he can be.