Most Valuable Promotions plans a major move into MMA, and the company says the May 16 Netflix card in Inglewood will decide how big that move will be.
Event and card details
The event will take place on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The headline fight is Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. The card also features former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins, and Mike Perry vs. Nate Diaz.
MVP’s plan and stakes
Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, has mostly worked in boxing so far. Bidarian told Sports Business Journal that how MVP moves in MMA depends on the success of the May 16 show.
“I think a lot of it depends on May 16th, right? We’re putting a lot of fire power, star power, distribution to the event,” Bidarian said. He added, “If it works, and I’m very confident it will work, yes — MVP will be involved in MMA over the long term.”
Why Netflix matters
MVP has a strong relationship with Netflix. The promotion produced Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson on Netflix, which the company says peaked at over 100 million viewers in the U.S. Netflix has more than 325 million subscribers worldwide. Bidarian called the streaming platform a “difference maker” for exposure and said he expects May 16 to be one of the most viewed MMA events in history.
Future fighters and format
Bidarian said MVP will not try to copy the UFC’s weekly event model. Instead, MVP plans to focus on “blockbuster live events” (BLEs) with major, attention-grabbing matchups like Rousey vs. Carano.
He also said many fighters have contacted MVP about future shows. “We’ve had no shortage of interested athletes reaching out to us to be involved,” he said. MVP has already aired several events on Netflix, including Paul vs. Tyson and Paul vs. Anthony Joshua.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Ronda Rousey | Returning to competition after 10 years away |
| Gina Carano | Last fought in 2009 |
| Francis Ngannou | Former UFC heavyweight champion; set to face Philipe Lins |
| Philipe Lins | Set to face Francis Ngannou |
| Mike Perry | Set to face Nate Diaz |
| Nate Diaz | Set to face Mike Perry |
| Jake Paul | Produced Paul vs. Tyson, which peaked at over 100 million viewers on Netflix |
| Mike Tyson | Featured opponent on a Netflix MVP event |
| Anthony Joshua | Featured opponent on a Netflix MVP event |
MVP says May 16 will be a test of how the company can grow in MMA. If the event draws big viewership and interest, MVP plans to keep staging large, high-profile MMA shows on streaming platforms.
