He’s got youth, he’s got the CW featherweight title and he’s got a fanbase bigger than most major cities. It doesn’t take Gianni the Greek to assume that smart money says Charriere might have a stronger fanbase than 90% of the featherweights in the sport. With millions of views per video regardless of the content, Charriere lives like a king in a sea of admirers and devoted fans.
Despite having a consistent 150K follower range on most social media, Charriere might not have the most followers but he certainly has the most devoted. But with no UFC experience to maximize his exposure across the fight world, how does he do it?
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“It was, I think last year, maybe two years ago, I had a YouTube series with a big French streamer,” Charriere explained. “I did a web series on YouTube where he wanted to lose weight. He was like 330 pounds and he wanted to lose weight so he contacted me on Twitter and said, ‘can you coach me? Can you film me through a workout program?’”
After proposing a YouTube series to document the weight loss journey, Charriere’s popularity has exploded. You might not see Conor McGregor or Jon Jones in his followers, but you will definitely see a who’s who of Twitch streamers and verified social media personalities who seemingly wait for what Charriere will say next.
The fanbase won “The Last Pirate” the 2020 UFC FIGHT PASS Viral Moment of the Year, and a UFC FIGHT PASS tweet of a pirate flag GIF and the date of his upcoming fight already has more impressions than anything else in the young 2021.
His rise in popularity shot up confusingly quickly and has never let up.
„The Frenchman’s done it!!!!“ Give him that belt!#CW119 pic.twitter.com/vi76S24O2g
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) December 12, 2020
“It became like this two years ago and I jumped from 10K followers to 60K followers in like one month and they were all really interested in me,” Charriere said. “They were not just here to see what I do; they were really here to support me.”
Simply having followers isn’t the goal for Charriere. His goals aren’t to have the biggest number of worshippers. Charriere wants to have the most interactions and impressions across all social media. He wants the highest number of friends.
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“Before I get my shot in the UFC, I don’t know, I’ll have 500-600,000 or maybe 1 million,” Charriere predicts. “Not one million people that don’t interact, one million people that like, that retweet. I’m just waiting for COVID-19 to be less so people can come to the fights. At this moment, people will see I have big support.”
Is Morgan Charrieré the biggest star in @CageWarriors? There is a strong argument to be made that he is.
Watch him back in action this Saturday at #CW116 LIVE on FIGHT PASS! pic.twitter.com/RtC2PD1EhS
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 21, 2020
All in one motion, Charriere won CW gold and inked a new deal with the promotion. For at least the next few fights, he will be the new face of Cage Warriors or he will kick in the door and drop the jaws of UFC fans.
The journey is readily available across any social channel there is and even though he knows he’s the face of French MMA with goals of having the most interactive social media in MMA, he’s still just Morgan Charriere.
“I don’t feel like I’m a superstar,” Charriere explained. “I just feel like I’m a guy who has done a lot to achieve my dream. I don’t see myself like I’m not. I really have my head on my shoulders. I have a lot to do, lots of fights to win. I feel like I’m a guy with a lot of friends. A lot of support and a lot of friends. I try to do a lot to keep them happy.”
