There is a new player in the mixed martial arts game.
On Thursday, the Jake Paul-led MVP MMA promotion merged with the Professional Fighters League in an attempt to compete with the UFC.
MVP MMA debuted in May with a massive fight card on Netflix that included former UFC stars Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry.
“We started MVP to disrupt a broken model,” Paul said in a statement. “We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modernized stage to become global superstars. Joining forces with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade. I look forward to putting my entire promotional muscle into our new company, returning to the boxing ring and making my MVP MMA debut.”
PFL previously merged with Bellator MMA, a mostly failed experiment in 2023 that saw the promotion lose most of its Bellator talent to free agency.
This merger will see the PFL shift under the MVP umbrella, giving MVP MMA access to its fighting talent.
The PFL boasts plenty of legitimate MMA talent, including Dakota Ditcheva, Paul Hughes, Usman Nurmagomedov, AJ McKee and Johnny Eblen.
“Over the past seven years, PFL has built the world’s No. 2 global MMA company, assembling one of the sport’s most elite fighter rosters while creating a world-class global business with premier media distribution across 34 broadcast and streaming partners, reaching fans in more than 170 countries,” PFL CEO John Martin added in a statement.
“At the same time, MVP has redefined how combat sports connects with a new generation of fans, creating events that become cultural moments and proving that athletes, sports, entertainment and creators can all thrive together. This merger brings scale in operations, in distribution and media rights, in sponsorship, in fighter development and in fan engagement.”
