The UFC is quickly becoming the most popular combat sport if it isn't already. The UFC is still a young sport. We have seen the stars of UFC become as relevant as other professional sports athletes. Lafayette's own Dustin Poirier has become one of the most influential fighters in the UFC.

UFC 281: Adesanya v Pereira
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
loading...

Middle Easy, a top combat sports website, researched the most influential UFC fighters. They went to find the top 10 most influential fighters and Conor McGregor is the most influential UFC fighter. McGregor has 46 million followers and can make $152,576 dollars per sponsored post. Poirier comes in on the list at number 9. Poirier has 4.1 million followers and can make $14,016 dollars per sponsored post. However, even though Poirier comes in at nine he has the fourth-highest engagement rate behind Isreal Adesanya, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Khamzat Chimaev. Poirier has an engagement rate of 1.75%, which means that his followers are engaged with what he posts. Even though McGregor is the most influential he doesn't get the same amount of engagement or love from his fans. 

I think those numbers show that Poirier's fans love what he posts and love engaging with him on his socials. It goes to show that the connection Poirier has with his fans is real.

Poirier will be able to grow his brand even more with his upcoming fight with Justin Gaethje as he is set to fight Gaethje in July for the BMF title.

Most Valuable Franchises in American Sports

Five of the ten most valuable franchises in American sports come from the NFL.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL