5 UFC stars who have mastered the art of self-promotion

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#2: Jiri Prochazka – UFC light-heavyweight contender

Jiri Prochazka's charisma has turned him into an instant star with the UFC fanbase

Jiri Prochazka’s career with the UFC is clearly only just beginning. The native of the Czech Republic has had just two fights inside the octagon thus far, knocking out Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes in devastating fashion.

However, in a similar vein to Khamzat Chimaev, ‘Denisa’ has already set himself apart not only by fighting impressively, but by the sheer force of his natural charisma outside of the octagon.

Prochazka had already established himself as a fan favorite in Japan prior to his UFC career, and his playful-yet-dangerous persona makes it easy to see why.

Some fighters simply have the ability to draw in the interest of the fans without doing or saying much, and Prochazka is one of them.

‘Denisa’ has a unique, outlandish look, resembling a cross between the Tong Po character from the 80’s Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Kickboxer and a member of Duran Duran.

While he hasn’t used it much in the UFC yet, his Czech battle cry “Bomby jak pica!” translates to “bomb the sh*t out of them!” and could easily be compared to a catchphrase used in the world of pro-wrestling.

Essentially, if Prochazka manages to win the UFC light-heavyweight title as many suspect he will, he could easily develop into a European star on the level of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Most of that will be down to his own talent for self-promoting.

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#1: Conor McGregor – former UFC lightweight champion

Conor McGregor is probably the best self-promoter in UFC history

Perhaps no other fighter in UFC history has mastered the art of self-promoting quite like Conor McGregor.

The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion undoubtedly has a serious set of skills inside the octagon, but at this stage, he’s transcended the sport of MMA entirely, and is one of the planet’s most recognizable athletes.

‘The Notorious’ definitely owes some of this success to his treatment by the UFC. From day one he was pushed as a star by the promotion, often to the point that some fans accused them of giving him preferential treatment.

However, it was McGregor who initially made himself into a big deal. Firstly by showing tons of charisma in his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage and secondly by talking more trash than any other newcomer to the UFC had done before him.

Before he’d even had three fights in the octagon, McGregor had become the most talked-about and the most called-out fighter on the UFC’s roster. When he headlined his first event in his hometown of Dublin, it was clear that he had something special.

Even now, when it looks like his time as an elite-level fighter might be coming to an end, ‘The Notorious’ remains a master of self-promotion.

Every time he posts on Twitter or Instagram, it's big news, and he’s somehow developed a best-selling brand of whiskey to complement his fighting career, too.

Essentially, no other fighter in UFC history has been able to promote and sell themselves quite like the Irishman. Which explains why he’ll remain the biggest superstar in the sport for as long as he continues to compete.