Videos: Can MVP MMA threaten UFC? Rousey, Carano, Ngannou, Diaz discuss
Will MVP's first MMA event be the dawn of a new age in the sport – one that finally challenges the UFC's dominance in the space?
VENICE BEACH, Calif. – The last time MMA fans were teased with a new promotion, it was a major letdown. This time seems different.
In 2025, the Global Fight League got the support of hundreds of fighters, only to collapse before it got close to getting off the ground. But MVP Promotions, headed by Jake Paul, will dip its toe in the MMA pool Saturday for the first time – and it's coming with the type of star power that many observers think could be a threat to the UFC's stranglehold on the space in the field. MVP MMA 1 brought women's MMA pioneers Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano out of retirement for a superfight that has been talked about for more than a decade.
It also got former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou out of the PFL, and pulled Nate Diaz into his first non-UFC MMA fight in years, as well, against BKFC champ Mike Perry. Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is on the card, too. Will MVP MMA be an eventual threat to the UFC?
Rousey said her goal for Saturday is the most-watched MMA event of all time – in excess of 9 million views on Netflix, is what she's hoping for. Wednesday, the fighters worked out for fans and media in Venice Beach, Calif. – Rousey's hometown – ahead of the event at the Intuit Dome in nearby Inglewood.