Nakisa Bidarian says Most Valuable Promotions is staying in MMA after its first Netflix cage event.
Bidarian, who co-founded MVP with Jake Paul, told Ariel Helwani the promotion is not treating MVP MMA 1 as a one-off. The Netflix card was headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano and also featured Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins.
“100%. 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 as fighters first.”
Bidarian said Netflix remains the preferred partner, while making clear a long-term MMA deal has not been finalized.
“Our hope is that’s with our partners at Netflix, but we’ve been very fortunate with the outreach we’ve gotten around what we did and what we accomplished and what we delivered. And we’re now looking at all strategic alternatives to implement our strategy.”
He later added that MVP has not yet had the next-stage commitment conversation with Netflix.
“We haven’t even had the discussion yet to be honest, right? We’re long-term partners with Netflix. We’ve done things that are unimaginable for a company of our size.”
MVP MMA 1 produced major numbers, with Rousey vs. Carano drawing a 17 million global peak and the final three fights averaging 12.4 million viewers.
Watch Bidarian discuss MVP’s MMA plans below:
Nakisa Bidarian confirms MVP is committed to the MMA business:
“100%. MVP is in the MMA business. There is a clear opportunity to create an alternative avenue for fighters.
Our hope is that it’s with our partners at Netflix, but we’ve been very fortunate with the outreach we’ve… pic.twitter.com/CJ3Tc6hbwC
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 20, 2026
Bidarian Pushes Back At Mark Shapiro Over Rousey-Carano Criticism
Bidarian also responded to Mark Shapiro’s criticism of MVP MMA 1, especially the idea that quick finishes hurt the sport. He pointed to Rousey’s UFC rise, which was built around fast finishes.
“The entire UFC Ronda Rousey train was built on quick finishes. Right? She was the biggest pay-per-view star in the sport based on quick finishes.”
Bidarian said UFC had a chance to book Rousey’s return but did not meet the price.
“UFC offered her certain amount of money to do the fight. It just wasn’t enough. They didn’t want to hit the margin profile. But to come out and say bad for the sport? What’s bad for the sport is not paying the fighters.”
He also took aim at how UFC announced Conor McGregor’s return. McGregor is set for a UFC 329 rematch with Max Holloway, which Bidarian argued deserved more than an Instagram Live mention.
“What’s bad for the sport is not paying attention enough to give Conor McGregor his due moment after five years of not being in the cage, in the octagon. And you announce him on an Instagram Live. That’s bad for the sport. Not what we did. What we did is tremendous for the sport.”
Bidarian said Shapiro was speaking to investors, not hardcore fight fans.
“He’s talking to an audience that’s not sophisticated when it comes to the fight game and he’s selling a narrative for his investors because he’s worried about the stock price, which he has share ownership in. So that doesn’t surprise me. I think in some ways it’s expected.”
Bidarian said MVP is not claiming to be UFC’s equal after one MMA event and argued the fair comparison is the UFC’s early stage, not today’s machine.
“We are not in competition with the UFC. That was our first event. Judge us versus Zuffa 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Judge us versus UFC 30 in Atlantic City, which was the first event that Dana White oversaw, the president of the UFC. We’re four and a half years in. That was our first MMA event.”
He argued MVP entered a sport with an established leader and still delivered through Netflix.
“Tell me another organization who’s entered a sport with a strong existing player and delivered what we did with Netflix and the fighters. No one.”
Bidarian compared the launch to other sports projects, including the XFL and Tom Brady’s flag football event, then said MVP has to prove the result can happen again.
“Of course now the onus is on us to show that it’s repeatable and can become consistent. But we’re not fools. We’re not in competition with the 800 pound gorilla that’s the UFC. But do we believe there’s a path for us to become a relevant player within MMA? Of course.”
MVP also put major money behind the card, including seven-figure purses for Rousey, Ngannou, and Carano.
Watch Bidarian respond to Shapiro below:
Nakisa Bidarian responds to Mark Shapiro's comments:
The entire UFC Ronda Rousey train was built on quick finishes…UFC offered her certain amount of money to do the sport, it just wasn't enough. They didn't want to hit the margin profile, but to come out and say bad for the… pic.twitter.com/5dcEqnJixB
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 20, 2026
