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Some UFC fighters are more popular than others. It's no secret that the likes of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz drew more interest from MMA fans than perhaps any other fighter in the world. However, while fans know about the male fighters who command the most attention in MMA, what about the female roster?
The promotion has come a long way from Dana White's infamous claim that women would never fight in the UFC. Now, countless women's MMA fighters have headlined events and will continue to do so. But who among the promotion's roster, past and present, ranks as its most popular-ever fighters?
Some fighters are blips on the radar. They achieve stardom but fail to keep the lightning they briefly caught in a bottle. Others, however, rise to immortality in the sport. With that being said, which female fighters, active and inactive, are the most popular in the promotion's history?
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#10. Mackenzie Dern, UFC strawweight
Most casual MMA fans knew nothing of Mackenzie Dern prior to her MMA debut. However, the third-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had a storied career in the grappling world as a multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion. Her initial claim to fame came due to her parallels with legendary judoka Ronda Rousey.
Dern, like Rousey, was an undefeated grappling sensation. Furthermore, many fans developed an interest in her physical appearance, just as they had with 'Rowdy'. Unfortunately for Dern, she never quite reached the heights of Rousey's career. She did, however, develop a strong following.
Between fan interest in her physical appearance and the other growing interest in the dramatic change in her accent, Dern has become a household name in WMMA. She has even headlined three Fight Night cards and currently has 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
#9. Cris Cyborg, former UFC women's featherweight
Long before Amanda Nunes' ascension to the peak of women's MMA, Cris Cyborg was the most feared female fighter in the world. Her combination of crushing punching power and high-octane Muay Thai striking offense allowed her to embark on a vicious 13-year unbeaten streak.
However, she also gained infamy for her failed drug test after her final Strikeforce appearance. This, plus her widely publicized feud with future WMMA superstar Ronda Rousey, brought significant fan attention to Cris Cyborg. A hypothetical matchup between her and 'Rowdy' generated astronomical hype.
It was and remains the most anticipated bout in WMMA history. Unfortunately, it never happened, even after Cyborg signed with the UFC and became the promotion's female featherweight champion. Due to her storied career, she currently enjoys 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
#8. Joanna Jędrzejczyk, former UFC strawweight
Every now and then, a fighter that seems to have all of the ingredients for superstardom emerges. Joanna Jędrzejczyk is one such fighter. The Polish phenom is responsible for elevating the UFC strawweight division to "must-watch" status while once enthroning herself as its main attraction.
Her coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter 23 led to the first true heated rivalry in the 115-pound weight class when she competed against Claudia Gadelha. Additionally, her long undefeated stretch and cold-blooded trash talk led to massive pre-fight hype for most of her bouts.
But it was her high-volume, violent striking style that kept most fans glued to her fights. From her rise to championship status to her eventual fall and retirement, fans always watched her fights. She was a frequent headliner and her work inside the octagon led to 2 million fans on Instagram.
#7. Miesha Tate, UFC women's bantamweight
If Cris Cyborg was the greatest rival that Ronda Rousey never faced, then Miesha Tate is 'Rowdy's' sworn nemesis in the cage as the two women clashed two different times. Their first bout was under the Strikeforce banner. Their rematch, however, came off the heels of The Ultimate Fighter 18.
The two women served as competing coaches, with their bad blood generating significant interest as the first great women's MMA feud in the UFC. While 'Cupcake' never managed to defeat Ronda Rousey, she did eventually capture UFC gold after scoring a massive upset win over Holly Holm.
Unfortunately, she never managed to defend her title, losing it in lopsided fashion to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200. Like her rival Mackenzie Dern, 'Cupcake' draws a lot of fan interest due to her physical appearance and has amassed an Instagram following of 2.1 million.
#6. Rose Namajunas, UFC strawweight
Rose Namajunas has become a well-known name in women's MMA for both good and bad reasons. Many fans have criticized her for being one-half of what many describe as the most boring fight in MMA history after her split-decision loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274, which remains her most recent bout.
She received further criticism for her unapologetic assertion that she deserved credit for good defense. However, many fans have forgotten that what first led to her rise in fame was her penchant for scoring massive upset wins. She handed Joanna Jędrzejczyk her first-ever loss by TKO'ing her in three minutes.
She repeated this feat by KO'ing Zhang Weili within a minute to hand 'Magnum' her first UFC loss and end her 21-fight win streak in emphatic fashion. She remains a household name in women's MMA and most of her 2 million Instagram followers are eager for her return.
#5. Valentina Shevchenko, UFC women's flyweight
There have only ever been a handful of women capable of meeting Amanda Nunes inside the octagon and taking her to the brink of defeat. Valentina Shevchenko is one of those select few. She is a decorated martial artist who spent the first half of her UFC career as a 135-pounder.
'Bullet' truly hit her stride, however, after her move down to the women's flyweight division. She became its resident champion, defeating foe after foe en route to breaking Ronda Rousey's record for the most title defenses by a woman in UFC history, during which her violent head kick KO over Jessica Eye became viral.
It led to an explosion of fan interest in the former flyweight queen, peaking at 2.7 million followers on Instagram. Talk of a potential trilogy between her and Amanda Nunes became rampant as the two women looked increasingly unstoppable. However, a massive upset loss to Alexa Grasso changed everything.
#4. Paige VanZant, former UFC strawweight and women's flyweight
The UFC had high hopes for Paige VanZant, but she never came close to the potential that the promotion saw in her. While she was a physical fighter who leaned on her toughness and cardio to drag her foes into wars, she lacked the refined technical skills to ascend into title contention.
That much was clear after her loss to Rose Namajunas in 2015, after which '12 Gauge' would never enjoy another win streak again. But her lack of success in the cage did nothing to dampen her popularity. Due to a combination of fan interest in her physical appearance and her stint on Dancing with the Stars, she soared.
VanZant began posting more frequently on Instagram, building a following of 3 million fans before embarking on a career as a model, while pursuing other interests like pro-wrestling.
#3. Amanda Nunes, UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion
While Amanda Nunes may have fewer social media followers than some of the other fighters on this list, that is not the final indicator of her popularity. 'The Lioness' is the most dominant fighter in the history of women's MMA. Furthermore, she is one of only two regular female headliners on the roster.
She has main-evented five different PPVs and is currently scheduled to main-event her sixth PPV next month when she faces Irene Aldana at UFC 289. Almost no active female fighter is more talked about than Nunes, who is frequently hailed as the women's MMA GOAT.
The likes of Kayla Harrison and Claressa Shields primarily showed interest in MMA with the goal of eventually landing a bout against 'The Lioness'. Furthermore, she is no slouch on the social media front either, commanding 2 million fans on Instagram.
#2. Holly Holm, UFC women's bantamweight
Holly Holm is the star that no one ever expected to reach the heights that she has. On the surface, she was none of the ingredients that fans typically look for in stars. She doesn't engage in trash talk, nor does she have an especially entertaining fighting style with a high-finishing rate or the mystique of being undefeated.
She was originally booked as nothing more than another sacrificial lamb for Ronda Rousey. Instead, 'The Preacher's Daughter' scored one of the most shocking upsets in MMA history by flattening 'Rowdy' with a second-round KO in front of a then-record-setting crowd in Australia.
This was enough to launch her into stardom. Even after her subsequent losses, she remains a frequent headliner, having main-evented seven events, with three of them being PPVs. She is currently scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 224, her eighth event, and with 3 million Instagram followers, it's easy to see why.
#1. Ronda Rousey, former UFC women's bantamweight
There has never been any doubt as to who the most popular female fighter of all time is. Ronda Rousey is a pioneer in women's MMA, as she was instrumental in causing Dana White to reconsider his original stance about female fighters competing in the promotion.
She became a global superstar, whose popularity exceeded anything anyone could have expected of her. Her last two PPV events in the UFC generated over one million pay-per-view buys. She inspired an entire generation of women to pursue mixed martial arts when it was previously unthinkable.
Her popularity is such that she was en route to Hollywood superstardom after appearing in blockbuster films like Furious 7. Even after retiring from MMA after two consecutive losses, her star power was still such that she managed to earn a spot as one of the most high-profile female pro wrestlers in the WWE.
Her Instagram following dwarfs anything anyone else can hope to amass on this list, with 17 million fans.
