Report: Jake Paul’s MVP working on their own ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ clone
US boxer and influencer Jake Paul speaks as US President Donald Trump looks on during a rally at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions is set to hold their first MMA card on May 16th, and have said they have longterm plans for the sport. That’s seemingly confirmed by a new report that MVP is working on what sounds suspiciously like a new take on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.
’ Before it was run into the ground over 33 seasons, The Ultimate Fighter reality show literally saved the sport of MMA in North America. As the ol’ story goes, the 2005 series finale fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar went viral on SpikeTV, with viewership numbers doubling from 1. 5 million to 3 million over the course of the bout.
Those ‘TUF noobs’ liked what they saw and started buying hundreds of thousands of pay-per-views, leading to the golden age of UFC. The Ultimate Fighter is up there with Survivor as a textbook example of the power of reality TV. So it shouldn’t be surprising that many MMA reality shows have come and gone over the years, including an insane Russian TUF clone that featured Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier disarming contestants with knives.
Now MVP is reportedly preparing their own play on the format, according to respected Japanese MMA agent and manager Shu Hirata. 元TUFのスタッフがMVPに引き抜かれて、今度MVPが制作するMMAリアリティー番組の担当になりました。 という訳で、男子がライト級からライトヘビーまで、女子はアトムからフェザー、18歳以上。 アマで戦績がよくて、プロ一歩手前の選手たちを探してます。… — Shu Hirata | シュウヒラタ (@ShuHirata) March 29, 2026 “A former TUF staffer has been poached by MVP, and now he’s been assigned to the MMA reality show that MVP is producing next,” Hirata tweeted in Japanese. “So, for the guys: from lightweight to light heavyweight; for the women: from atomweight to featherweight, 18 and up … The broadcast will be on a major platform, apparently.
” “Well, my prediction is that it’s basically going to be a show to rival TUF,” Hirata concluded. “This might not necessarily be about Netflix as the platform? The MVP women’s boxing event airs on ESPN, so I’m thinking it could be ESPN too.