Most viral topics ahead of historic MMA event

UFC 300 is just two days away and the hype seems to be at a fever pitch.

ListenFirst, a social media listening company, provided me with data about this event. Specifically, we asked which topics generated the most engagement and garnered the most impressions.

Several things became clear from the data I received. First, the UFC is promoting his 100th anniversary event beautifully. According to ListenFirst conversation analysis from March 10th to April 10th:

“The total number is [UFC 300] Across the platforms evaluated, mentions amounted to 143,478, of which 73% were retweets, suggesting a high level of content amplification. The total number of impressions achieved during this period was 8,895,636. Sentiment analysis showed that the conversations were dominated by emotions of joy and anticipation, and negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear were rarely detected. The virality of the content was primarily driven by official UFC accounts and prominent fighters, with posts containing visual content and important announcements related to the event receiving the most attention. ”

When a promotion generated nearly 9 million impressions, 143,000 impressions, and received “little to no negative sentiment,” we have an example of a successful combination of timely marketing and an event that the fan base is genuinely excited about. .

The second thing that was clear was that the main event of UFC 300 was the most popular topic. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title against Jamahal Hill in the main event, and the matchup is sure to get people talking.

According to the report, “Fans are most excited about the light heavyweight championship fight. In addition to the obvious interest in this bout, Israel Adesanya's social media activity has shown him to be a hot topic for the event leading up to UFC 300. I was able to actively participate in the conversation.”

Adesanya, who has faced Pereira four times in kickboxing and MMA, predicted the main event. He also revealed that he wrote a blueprint for defeating Pereira.

The excitement surrounding Pereira-Hill is refreshing considering the UFC originally wanted Adesanya and rival D'Oricas du Plessis in the main event of UFC 300. If the second choice sparks excitement among fans, that's a good sign for the promotion.

Pereira isn't the only Brazilian fighter making moves ahead of UFC 300.

His compatriot Charles Oliveira, who will face Arman Tsarukyan in a bout for the No. 1 lightweight contender, is also a big topic heading into UFC 300.

According to the report, “In summary, the Brazilian fighter appears to be making a big impact on the main card of UFC 300. While the Pereira vs. Hill and Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan bouts are exciting, fans are “fighters are eager to understand the impact these bouts will have on the main card of UFC 300.” Will this lead to another title defense for Pereira against Adesanya? And will Oliveira get another chance in a lightweight bout against Islam Makhachev? ”

Fans are a little more interested in Oliveira vs. Salukyan than they are in the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. From February 18 to April 9, Oliveira-Tsarukyan was mentioned just under 17,000 times, compared to just under 16,000 for Holloway-Gaethje, the report said. .

What about a co-main event featuring pound-for-pound contender and women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang?

The Chinese champion's title defense against compatriot Yang Xiaonan is by far the least talked about of the main card fights.

The co-main event of UFC 300 had just 1,306 handle mentions during the same period. Either way, this match was great, which can be said about most of the matches on this card.

UFC 300 is probably the best card ever assembled for an MMA event, and the hype surrounding it justifies that claim. UFC 300 will be held on April 13th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.