Do you follow your favorite UFC fighters on Twitter? If so, you may soon be contributing to their paychecks.

The world’s largest mixed martial arts organization featuring big names like Georges St. Pierre and Patrick Barry, the UFC is planning on using the social microblogging site to help the fighters connect with their fans, promote upcoming fights and advertise their out-of-the-octagon feuds. Starting June 1, the fighters will, in essence, be competing for a bonus based on the biggest gain in new followers and the most creative tweets, which will be judged by UFC head Dana White.

According to Mashable, the fighters will be divided into four categories based on their current Twitter count. After a three-month period, three fighters from each category will receive a rather generous $5,000 bonus based on their new numbers and tweets.

Twitter has increasingly become an outlet for sports athletes and celebrities to connect with their fans and express themselves without having the intrusion of the media. However, this new movement by UFC goes against the grain, as most major leagues like the NFL have bans on using social networking sites prior to and during sporting events for the entire team staff.

Perhaps this new promotional tool for the UFC was driven by White’s own success with Twitter. Currently boasting a whopping 1 million-plus followers on his Twitter account, White last month sent out a Twitter message to followers offering free UFC 129 tickets to the first people who met him at a certain location. Spreading like quickfire, the message prompted hundreds of fans to gather in the area in hopes of getting a ticket.

Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell