Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) delivered a historic debut with the promotion’s first MMA event this weekend. The Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano card broke MMA’s all-time U.S. viewership record on Netflix. Now, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told Ariel Helwani that the promotion is “here to stay” in creating more MMA events.
What We Know: MVP’s first MMA event drew a global average of 12.4 million viewers on Netflix, per company officials. The triple-headliner peaked at 17 million during Rousey’s 17-second armbar finish of Carano. Additionally, the live gate generated $2.2 million.
What They Said: MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian via The Ariel Helwani Show: “One hundred percent, MVP is in the MMA business. There is a clear opportunity to create an alternative avenue for fighters that truly represents the best of the sport and is fighters first. Our hope is that’s with our partners at Netflix. We’ve been very fortunate with the outreach we’ve gotten around what we did. What we accomplished and what we delivered.”
What Remains Unclear: According to Bidarian, no discussions have been held yet with Netflix about future events. Moreover, MVP events don’t have to be Netflix-exclusive — or on the platform at all. Bidarian said that would “be ideal, of course,” but it’s not a requirement. How quickly MVP moves, and with which partners, remains an open question. Bidarian did hint later in the interview with Helwani that his ideal situation would be to have a schedule of twelve events a year.
What It Means: The MVP debut in MMA drew significant attention over the weekend because of the fighters competing in the hexagon. There is clear interest in MMA alternatives outside the UFC. However, it remains unclear whether MVP can lure bigger fighters away from UFC contracts or develop its own stable of stars. There was much speculation about what audience the event would command, but the numbers are impressive for a first-time event. With the UFC tied to an exclusive agreement with Paramount+, the continued partnership with Netflix gives MVP more flexibility to think aggressively about future events.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
