Top 20 US Judo Instagram Influencers to Follow in 2026

American judo on Instagram is bigger—and more varied—than it looks at first glance. The community includes Olympic medalists, active World Tour athletes, technical coaches, dojo owners, para judoka, and crossover stars whose throwing skills have reached millions of combat-sports fans. The trick is figuring out who actually posts useful judo content and who simply has a judo background.

We reviewed public Instagram profiles connected to U.S. judo and selected 20 individuals worth following in 2026. This isn’t a follower-count-only ranking. Reach matters, but so do judo authority, relevance, educational value, recent activity, and usefulness to fans or potential brand partners. That’s why a dedicated coach can rank above a celebrity with a much larger audience.

Follower counts were captured from public profile headers on August 17, 2026. They’re rounded where Instagram rounds them and will change over time. We didn’t audit the accounts’ followers, verify private Insights, or calculate campaign performance. Use the figures as a discovery snapshot—not a guarantee of reach, engagement, or audience quality.

Quick Answer: The Best US Judo Influencers on Instagram

If you want technical instruction, start with Shintaro Higashi, Travis Stevens, Jimmy Pedro, and Shinjiro Sasaki. For the current U.S. competition story, watch Jack Yonezuka, Maria Laborde, John Jayne, Angelica Delgado, and Nicole Stout-Berliner. Kayla Harrison and Ronda Rousey offer the biggest crossover reach, although their feeds extend well beyond judo.

Rank	Influencer	Instagram	Followers*	Best For
1	Shintaro Higashi	@judoshintaronyc	132K	Technique and coaching
2	Travis Stevens	@judosilencer	122K	Elite competitive judo
3	Jimmy Pedro	@jimmypedrousa	39.7K	High-performance coaching
4	Shinjiro Sasaki	@sasakijudo_orlando	142K	Japanese judo in the U.S.
5	Jack Yonezuka	@thejudoman	7,522	Current Team USA journey
6	Kayla Harrison	@kaylaharrisonofficial	413K	Olympic and MMA crossover
7	Ronda Rousey	@rondarousey	16.6M	Mainstream combat-sports reach
8	Marti Malloy	@martidamus	15K	Olympic perspective and LA28
9	Garry St. Leger	@gstleger	24.3K	Judo, BJJ, and wrestling
10	Nicole Stout-Berliner	@nicolestoutjudo	20.4K	LA28 athlete story
11	Angelica Delgado	@juji_angie	10.2K	Olympic competition
12	Hannah Martin	@judohannah	14K	Athlete life and judo media
13	Nick Delpopolo	@nickforgold	21.4K	Olympian insights
14	Colton Brown	@cbrown90kg__	8,191	Coaching and dojo growth
15	Maria Laborde	@m.laborde.48kg	2,301	Elite women’s competition
16	Nefeli Papadakis	@nef.papadakis	10.1K	Judo and BJJ crossover
17	John Jayne	@captainjayne97	3,006	World Tour athlete diary
18	Adonis Diaz	@adonis60kg	6,516	Explosive lightweight judo
19	Nina Cutro-Kelly	@monkeyjudo	2,633	Olympic and Deaflympic judo
20	Billy Gavigan	@billygavigan	5,550	Veterans and lifelong judo

*Public follower-count snapshot collected August 17, 2026. Counts change daily and don’t represent unique combined reach.

How We Ranked These Judo Instagram Accounts

We used five editorial factors: relevance to judo, technical or storytelling value, competitive or coaching authority, public reach, and current activity. To qualify, a person had to represent the United States, have a substantial role in American judo, or operate a U.S.-based judo program with a clearly active public profile. We focused on people, so federation, academy, media, and equipment-company accounts weren’t ranked.

“Influencer” is used broadly here. Some people on the list are full-time creators or recognizable public figures; others are elite athletes with smaller but highly relevant communities. That distinction matters. A 7,500-follower Olympian may be more valuable to a judo-specific brand than a celebrity whose millions of followers primarily care about entertainment or MMA.

We also avoided treating follower count as proof of performance. For context, the 2026 Instagram engagement-rate benchmarks show that normal rates differ sharply by account size. Before a paid deal, compare like-sized creators, review recent content, and request first-party reach and audience-location data.

Top US Judo Instagram Influencers in 2026

1. Shintaro Higashi — @judoshintaronyc

Shintaro Higashi is the best all-around follow for people who want to understand judo, not just watch highlight throws. The two-time U.S. World Team member and two-time national champion breaks down gripping, entries, footwork, transitions, and the overlap between judo, BJJ, and wrestling. His delivery is direct and practical, and his New York coaching perspective makes advanced concepts approachable. With roughly 132K followers, he combines real niche reach with a deep library of save-worthy instruction.

2. Travis Stevens — @judosilencer

Travis Stevens brings the intensity of a three-time Olympian to educational content. His 2016 Olympic silver medal establishes the résumé, but his value on Instagram comes from explaining why techniques work under pressure. Expect gripping details, conditioning lessons, competition mindset, and crossovers into Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His audience of about 122K is large for a judo-first American account. He’s especially relevant for serious competitors, coaches, grapplers, and brands that need unmistakable high-performance credibility.

3. Jimmy Pedro — @jimmypedrousa

Jimmy Pedro offers one of the strongest combinations of athlete and coach authority in U.S. judo. He’s a world champion, two-time Olympic bronze medalist, and the coach behind multiple American stars. His feed mixes technical instruction, training culture, event updates, and lessons about long-term development. The audience is smaller than those of the top crossover names, but it’s concentrated around practitioners who recognize his expertise. For coaching products, mats, gis, camps, and serious training tools, that relevance can outweigh raw scale.

4. Shinjiro Sasaki — @sasakijudo_orlando

Shinjiro Sasaki runs a U.S.-based account with a distinctly Japanese technical foundation. A former Japanese national champion who built Sasaki Judo in Florida, he shares throws, newaza, no-gi adaptations, and dojo footage. At around 142K followers, his account is one of the largest judo-centered profiles operating in the United States. Follow him for compact visual demonstrations that translate well to Reels. He’s a natural fit for instructional platforms, martial-arts apparel, local programs, and grappling audiences.

5. Jack Yonezuka — @thejudoman

Jack Yonezuka is the American account to watch if you want the sport’s next chapter in real time. The 2024 Olympian earned silver at the 2026 Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam and Lima Grand Prix; the IJF listed him at No. 4 in the 73 kg world ranking on August 17, 2026. His 7,500-plus followers get competition updates, training, travel, and the perspective of an athlete climbing at the highest level. The audience is still relatively compact, which makes his growth story particularly interesting.

6. Kayla Harrison — @kaylaharrisonofficial

Kayla Harrison is one of the most accomplished judoka the United States has produced. Her two Olympic gold medals give every training post unusual authority, while her MMA career brings judo to a much wider combat-sports audience. The feed now leans more toward fighting, preparation, family, and personal storytelling than judo instruction. Still, her roughly 413K followers make her the strongest bridge between elite American judo and mainstream fight culture after Ronda Rousey.

7. Ronda Rousey — @rondarousey

Ronda Rousey is the reach leader by an enormous margin. The 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist has about 16.6 million followers and remains the name most likely to introduce a general audience to throws, armbars, and the American judo pipeline. Her profile isn’t judo-first; it spans combat sports, entertainment, family, and personal projects. Follow her for cultural impact and crossover visibility, not a steady technical curriculum. For brands, she belongs in a different budget and campaign category from niche judo creators.

8. Marti Malloy — @martidamus

Marti Malloy pairs Olympic-level judo with an insider’s view of sports marketing. She won bronze at the 2012 Olympics and silver at the 2013 World Championships, then moved into coaching and major-event work. In 2026, her connection to the LA28 project gives the account added relevance as the next U.S. Olympics approaches. Her 15K followers see a blend of judo, professional life, Olympic culture, and behind-the-scenes perspective—useful for audiences interested in where elite sport meets media and marketing.

9. Garry St. Leger — @gstleger

Garry St. Leger is a strong follow for grapplers who don’t keep judo, BJJ, and wrestling in separate boxes. The U.S. Olympic alternate and former World Team member leads Kano Martial Arts in New York and holds a BJJ black belt under Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. His audience of roughly 24.3K gets technique, coaching, academy life, and stand-up ideas with immediate grappling applications. That crossover makes him especially useful for no-gi brands and BJJ practitioners improving their takedowns.

10. Nicole Stout-Berliner — @nicolestoutjudo

Nicole Stout-Berliner documents the less glamorous but more relatable side of an Olympic campaign: travel, hard training, recovery, education, advocacy, and the long qualification process. The five-time U.S. national champion is targeting LA28 and has built an audience of about 20.4K. Her profile works because the stakes are clear and the story is ongoing. She’s a strong match for performance, wellness, education, career, and athlete-support campaigns that need more than a single spectacular throw.

11. Angelica Delgado — @juji_angie

Angelica Delgado has represented the United States at three Olympic Games, giving her profile rare longevity in a demanding weight-class sport. Her roughly 10.2K followers see competition posts, training, Team USA moments, and life around elite judo. Delgado is particularly relevant when a campaign needs authentic Olympic experience without celebrity-scale distance. Her Miami roots and Cuban-American story also give her a natural connection to South Florida and bilingual or multicultural sports audiences.

12. Hannah Martin — @judohannah

Hannah Martin brings a global, human-centered perspective to American judo. The former U.S. National Team athlete reached world No. 9 and earned more than 20 international medals before moving into a new phase involving media, coaching, travel, and family. Her 14K-follower profile is useful for fans who want more than tournament results. She can speak credibly about elite sport, motherhood, life abroad, and the transition from athlete to industry professional.

13. Nick Delpopolo — @nickforgold

Nick Delpopolo is a two-time U.S. Olympian with years of World Tour experience and a public profile of about 21.4K followers. His feed mixes training, judo culture, travel, coaching, and personal updates. He’s a valuable follow for athletes who want the perspective of someone who has lived through multiple Olympic cycles rather than a highlight-only version of the sport. Brands should view him as an experienced combat-sports personality with a defined judo identity and an established niche audience.

14. Colton Brown — @cbrown90kg__

Colton Brown has turned a two-Olympics competitive career into a coaching and community-building platform. He now runs the Colton Brown Training Center in New Jersey and contributes to the next generation of American judo, including coaching at the national level. His roughly 8,200 followers see instruction, dojo culture, athlete development, and the business of growing a martial-arts program. He’s especially relevant for family fitness, local campaigns, coaching education, and products that are actually used on the mat.

15. Maria Laborde — @m.laborde.48kg

Maria Laborde proves that influence and follower count aren’t the same thing. Her audience was only about 2,300 at our snapshot, but the Cuban-born American was ranked No. 8 in the world at 48 kg after a strong 2026 run that included Grand Slam bronze medals and Lima Grand Prix silver. The 2024 Olympian offers direct access to an elite athlete whose results are currently moving. For judo-specific brands, that sporting relevance makes her a serious account to watch early.

16. Nefeli Papadakis — @nef.papadakis

Nefeli Papadakis combines Olympic judo experience with coaching and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Tokyo Olympian has about 10.1K followers and posts around training, technique, seminars, and life in grappling. Her profile is a practical choice for women’s combat-sports campaigns, instructional collaborations, tape and recovery products, or brands that want a credible bridge between judo and BJJ. She’s also a reminder that retired or less-active international competitors can keep creating substantial value through teaching.

17. John Jayne — @captainjayne97

John Jayne gives fans a closer look at the career of a working World Tour athlete. The Paris 2024 Olympian won Pan American silver in 2026 and sat at No. 38 in the IJF 90 kg ranking in mid-August. With around 3,000 followers, his account is much smaller than celebrity combat-sports pages, but the relevance is high: competition, travel, preparation, and an athlete’s path through the international calendar. That makes him well suited to targeted judo and endurance partnerships.

18. Adonis Diaz — @adonis60kg

Adonis Diaz built his reputation through fast, explosive lightweight judo. A Pan American Games bronze medalist and multiple-time World Team athlete, he has about 6,500 Instagram followers. His profile is a good discovery point for athletic technique, throw clips, and the mindset required in the sport’s lighter divisions. Diaz fits campaigns aimed at competitive judoka, speed and strength training, seminars, or authentic U.S. team history without the broad lifestyle content of larger crossover celebrities.

19. Nina Cutro-Kelly — @monkeyjudo

Nina Cutro-Kelly brings Olympic, coaching, and Deaflympic experience into one distinctive profile. The Tokyo Olympian founded NCK Judo and has continued competing beyond the conventional elite pathway. Her audience of roughly 2,600 is modest, but it’s tied to an unusually broad story involving high-level sport, teaching, longevity, and adaptive competition. She’s worth following for people interested in inclusion and the many ways a serious judo career can evolve after an Olympic appearance.

20. Billy Gavigan — @billygavigan

Billy Gavigan speaks to a part of the market that most influencer lists miss: adult and veterans judo. The U.S. veteran national champion and 2026 U.S. Open champion shares competition, training, and a return-to-the-mat story with around 5,550 followers. He’s not an Olympic-track creator, and that’s the point. His account shows judo as a lifetime sport and can connect with older athletes, returning practitioners, veterans programs, health brands, and clubs trying to keep adults active.

What the Follower Data Actually Shows

The 20 profiles have approximately 17.6 million followers combined, but that number is badly distorted by one account. Ronda Rousey represents about 94.3% of the total. Remove her and the other 19 profiles combine for roughly one million followers. The median account in the list has 14,500 followers, which describes the U.S. judo creator market far better than the average of about 878,000.

There’s also likely substantial audience overlap: the same judoka may follow several coaches and Olympians. Adding follower counts doesn’t produce unique reach. More importantly, follower totals reveal nothing by themselves about geography, active followers, Reel distribution, saves, Story views, or conversions. Followerus research on Instagram fake-follower statistics in 2026 explains why account size should be treated as a starting point for review, never a final verdict. We did not apply that study’s estimates to anyone in this list.

Why Judo Content Works So Well on Instagram

Judo is naturally suited to short-form video. A clean throw creates an immediate visual payoff, but the setup also gives coaches a reason to slow the clip down and explain grips, timing, balance, and direction. One exchange can become a highlight Reel, a technical breakdown, a freeze-frame carousel, and a longer Q&A. That gives judo creators more useful material than accounts built only around generic motivation.

The strongest profiles on this list don’t rely on ippon compilations alone. They give viewers a repeatable reason to return: a technical series, an Olympic campaign, a dojo community, or a crossover into BJJ and wrestling. For brands, those recurring formats are valuable because a product can solve a visible training problem instead of interrupting the content.

• Technique clips earn saves when viewers want to try the movement at their next practice.
• Competition stories create continuity across training camps, weigh-ins, travel days, draws, wins, and losses.
• Coach-led explanations build trust because the audience can judge whether the advice improves their judo.
• Crossover content expands discovery by connecting judo to BJJ, MMA, wrestling, fitness, and self-defense.

Which Judo Influencer Is Right for Your Campaign?

For technique and education: Start with Higashi, Stevens, Pedro, or Sasaki. Their content already teaches, so a useful product can appear inside a drill, breakdown, or problem-solving Reel without feeling bolted on.

For current elite competition: Yonezuka and Laborde have especially timely stories in 2026. Jayne, Delgado, and Stout-Berliner add Olympic experience and an ongoing connection to Team USA or LA28. These profiles can work well for travel, recovery, nutrition, training equipment, and athlete-support campaigns.

For broad combat-sports awareness: Harrison and Rousey deliver scale and public recognition, but their audiences aren’t exclusively judo fans. A campaign should make sense within the creator’s wider identity. If the product only appeals to club judoka, a smaller technical account may produce more useful attention.

For local or community growth: Brown, St. Leger, Sasaki, and Gavigan connect content to physical programs and real training communities. They may be better choices for seminars, regional events, family memberships, mats, gis, and services that benefit from a clear local call to action.

For crossover and inclusion: Papadakis and St. Leger connect judo with BJJ, while Cutro-Kelly brings Olympic and Deaflympic perspectives. Malloy adds sports-business credibility, and Martin adds international media and athlete-mother storytelling. Those angles can help a campaign reach beyond the same familiar highlight format.

How to Vet a Judo Instagram Influencer Before You Pay

1. Define the audience you need. Competitive teens, parents, BJJ practitioners, veteran judoka, and general MMA fans aren’t interchangeable.
2. Review the latest 12 to 20 posts. Look for typical results, not one viral Reel. Separate judo content from unrelated lifestyle posts.
3. Compare accounts within the same follower tier. A 3K account and a 16M account shouldn’t be judged against the same engagement benchmark.
4. Ask for first-party Insights. Request recent median Reel views, Story reach, audience countries, age ranges, and results from comparable sponsorships.
5. Check comment relevance. Short generic comments aren’t equal to questions from athletes, coaches, parents, or customers.
6. Agree on usage rights. A sponsored post, paid-ad license, raw footage, exclusivity, and event appearance are separate deliverables.
7. Protect athletic credibility. Supplements, weight-cut products, and health claims require extra care, clear disclosures, and evidence.

Don’t accuse a creator of buying followers based on a single signal. Old accounts naturally collect inactive users, public figures attract bots without asking for them, and Reels can reach far beyond the follower base. Use audience-quality tools as screening inputs, then combine them with manual review and creator-supplied data. More practical vetting and discovery articles are available in the Followerus Instagram marketing blog.

Outreach Tips for Judo Creators

Keep the first message short and specific. Mention the exact content format you liked, explain why the product fits that creator’s audience, and state the deliverables, timing, usage rights, and budget range. Don’t open with “What are your rates?” and no context. A technical coach may prefer an instructional Reel or seminar integration; an active athlete may need flexible dates around travel and competition.

For smaller accounts, consider packages that combine a Reel, Stories, a discount code, and permission to reuse the content. For elite athletes, allow time for federation rules, existing sponsors, and competition obligations. Always require clear ad disclosure. The best partnership should be useful to the creator’s followers even if they never buy the product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the biggest U.S. judo influencer on Instagram?

Ronda Rousey is the largest by follower count, with approximately 16.6 million followers in our August 17, 2026 snapshot. However, her account covers a much broader mix of combat sports, entertainment, and personal content. Among judo-first educational profiles, Shintaro Higashi, Shinjiro Sasaki, and Travis Stevens have the largest audiences in this list.

Who is the best American judo influencer for technique?

Shintaro Higashi is our top overall pick for accessible technical instruction. Travis Stevens is excellent for competition-tested details and intensity, Jimmy Pedro adds elite coaching authority, and Shinjiro Sasaki is particularly strong for visually clear Japanese judo and no-gi adaptations.

Which U.S. judo athletes should fans watch on the road to LA28?

Jack Yonezuka and Maria Laborde had the strongest current senior world rankings among the profiles highlighted here on the snapshot date. Nicole Stout-Berliner is openly building toward LA28, while John Jayne and Angelica Delgado bring recent Olympic experience. Olympic qualification can change quickly, so follow official competition results rather than treating this list as a team prediction.

Are these follower counts exact?

They’re timestamped public snapshots. Instagram rounds many larger counts, while some smaller profiles display exact numbers. Counts can rise or fall after publication. They also don’t tell you how many followers are active, located in the United States, interested in judo, or reachable through a typical post.

How much does a judo Instagram influencer charge?

There’s no reliable public rate card for this niche. Price depends on average views, Story reach, production work, event travel, exclusivity, licensing, and the creator’s authority. A small Olympian with the right audience may reasonably charge more than a larger general martial-arts account. Ask for a quote tied to a precise brief and compare the expected result, not just the follower count.

Does inclusion mean Followerus endorses an influencer?

No. This is an editorial discovery list based on public information. Inclusion isn’t an endorsement, a statement about audience authenticity, or a guarantee of campaign performance. Brands should complete their own due diligence and obtain current data directly from the creator.

Sources and Data Notes

Follower counts came from the linked public Instagram profiles on August 17, 2026. Athletic credentials and current results were cross-checked against public profiles and results from USA Judo, Team USA, and the International Judo Federation. Rankings and follower counts are time-sensitive. This article was researched and updated on August 17, 2026.