While Sean O’Malley was busy beefing with the likes of boxer Ryan Garcia, the newly crowned Featherweight king Ilia Topuria is making waves. Within the last few days, it would appear that Topuria’s overall popularity has outshone ‘Suga”s. However, it’s also true that ‘El Matador’ and his rise to fame happened after his featherweight win.

After defeating Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria’s world was turned upside down. He was welcomed with grand applause in Spain when he returned with UFC gold. Soon, the Prime Minister of the country finally offered him his Spanish citizenship which he received after spending over 10 years in the country.

Undoubtedly, many more have come to recognize him and it shows. He has surpassed the number of followers Sean O’Malley has on Instagram. Now, Topuria has 4 million Instagram followers while Sean O’Malley still has 3.9 million.

A small difference that might change as UFC 299 commences, O’Malley is going to lock horns with Marlon Vera in the upcoming main event of the March pay-per-view. Perhaps Topuria has earned the favor of many fans in Spain and from other parts of the world, but ‘Suga’ might still be the American favorite.

In a recent Instagram post reporting Topuria’s rising fanbase, fans from all over the U.S. came together to show their support for the reigning bantamweight champion. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone in the States loves O’Malley but here are some that truly do.

Fans react to Sean O’Malley being left behind on Instagram

Sean O’Malley has all the attention he deserves and then some more. Some adore him for his fighting style and quirky personality while others aren’t as fond of him for the very same reasons. Here’s how some of the fans reacted in response to the Spaniard’s rising popularity outdoing O’Malley.

“here in america, omalley ofc. everywhere else in the world, probably topuria lmao”

While some admitted Topuria is more popular outside the U.S., others considered O’Malley’s hype stronger.

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“Topuria has a bigger potential, but O’Malley has a better hype”

“He is a mega star in multiple countries whereas Sean is primarily a star in the U.S. makes some sense“

Also Read: Sean O’Malley Is the Muhammad Ali of MMA; Joe Rogan Gave One Reason Why

Some predicted different numbers a week later.

“Just wait till this weekend Suga will have more than him”

This fan personally wanted to contribute to O’Malley’s socials.

“unfollowing illia”

“Sean still sleeps him”

Meanwhile, this fan accused many of following Topuria because he was trending.

“Yeah but all bandwagon fans. 90% of Topuria fans didn’t know who he was a month ago.”

Trends and popularity play an immense role in the world of the UFC. Big fights are fights that sell big and give fans a great deal of entertainment. In that regard, both the fighters are well-matched with Topuria not having even a single loss and Sean O’Malley having only one. That too against Vera! Will he avenge himself soon?

Also Read: 5 Surprising Facts About Curtis Blaydes