How UFC scaled social media to reach 300M fans and 26B video views

UFC has become more than the top MMA organization — it’s a global media force. With the most elite talent, the biggest audience in combat sports, and social media at the center of it all, UFC teamed up with Emplifi to turn every moment inside and outside the Octagon into a data-driven, fan-fueled spectacle seen — and felt — around the world.

UFC isn’t just leading the fight game — it’s rewriting the playbook for digital sports dominance. From pay-per-view arenas to social feeds, UFC is turning every moment into a global event — and every fighter into a story the world can’t stop watching.

That strategy hit its peak at UFC 306 inside Las Vegas’ cutting-edge Sphere. With 16,024 fans in attendance, a record $22 million gate, and more new records across sponsorship, merchandise, and per-cap revenue, the event leveled up the business of combat sports, becoming the most lucrative night in UFC history. It set a new gold standard for what’s possible when live spectacle meets digital strategy.

This huge night was the result of a relentless, multi-year commitment to digital innovation. With over 300 million+ followers, 26 billion video views, and a spot among the top 5 U.S. sports leagues by community size, UFC has turned its social channels into a global command center — amplifying talent, expanding fanbases, and fueling explosive growth.

At the core of this transformation is Emplifi, UFC’s longtime partner in building a smart, scalable, data-led social strategy. From real-time listening and audience insight to fighter analytics and automation, Emplifi helps UFC move at the speed of the sport — agile, global, and always on.

This is how champions are made. Not just in the Octagon, but on every platform the world is watching.

The pressure to scale fast in a 24/7 global fight business

UFC produces a nonstop stream of content across continents, cultures, and time zones. With 42+ annual events, spin-off series like Dana White’s Contender Series, and fast-rising franchises around the world, the pressure to deliver high-impact, localized content at scale has never been greater.

From the top down, UFC made a bold decision: social media would be a driving force for their business.

“Our CEO sees social media as more important than traditional media,” said Aziz Bawany, Senior Director of Digital Media & Product at UFC. “That level of support lets us move fast, test new strategies, and capitalize on trends in real time.”

But execution was no small task. UFC’s team was manually tracking fighter performance – checking social stats hourly, compiling data by hand, and trying to make quick decisions with slow-moving tools. In a sport where hype drives viewership, speed is everything.

UFC needed a solution that could scale with its ambition – one that could eliminate manual work, surface breakout talent faster, and deliver the insights needed to win the attention war, one post at a time.

How listening intelligence powers every punch, post, and promotion

Once UFC committed to making social media a core business engine, they needed tools that could keep pace with the speed and complexity of the fight world.

That meant replacing reactive reporting with real-time insights, automating what was once manual, and unlocking a global view of fan sentiment across every region, every event, every fighter.

That’s where Emplifi stepped in.

With Emplifi’s listening and analytics capabilities, UFC’s digital team can now track fan buzz in real time, detect what’s catching fire across markets, and quickly surface the moments and personalities that deserve amplification. Whether it’s a rising star gaining unexpected traction or a regional fanbase lighting up over a local fighter, the platform helps UFC move from gut instinct to data-backed action, fast.

“With 42 events a year and fighters competing globally, we need data to see who’s breaking through,” Bawany said. “Emplifi allows us to spot rising stars, track engagement trends, and push the right talent in the right market at the right time.”

That speed and precision translate directly into business results. Matchmaking decisions get sharper. Regional content strategies hit harder. Fan experiences become more impactful. And fighters – especially new talent – get more visibility, faster.

In a world where attention is currency, UFC is winning the exchange:

• 300M+ — Total followers across all UFC social platforms
• 26B+ — Video views, with a 21% year-over-year increase
• From top 20 to top 10 among global sports leagues by community size
• Now a top 5 sports league in the U.S. by digital audience

UFC built a system – one that listens at scale, reacts in real time, and turns data into dominance.

From leaderboard to launchpad: The next era of fighter promotion

For UFC, the next evolution is already underway: Building the sport’s most powerful, data-driven fighter promotion engine.

At the heart of it is the fighter leaderboard. Powered by Emplifi’s flexible reporting, it tracks fighter performance, momentum, and engagement across social platforms. What began as a post-event reporting feature is now shaping matchmaking decisions, marketing strategy, and how new stars are discovered and amplified around the globe.

The vision? A fully integrated ecosystem where Emplifi’s data flows directly into UFC’s internal tools, informing everything from regional promotion and card headlines to content placement to sponsorship opportunities. Add in AI-powered tagging and automation, and UFC is poised to make smart decisions faster than ever.

With the leaderboard as its compass, UFC is engineering the future of fighter marketing. And with Emplifi in their corner, they’re ready to turn the next breakout moment into a global movement.