Jake Paul's MVP can overtake UFC: CEO talks Paul-Canelo, Shields ban and more
Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Jake Paul and serves as its CEO, said MVP can overtake UFC with the right long-term plan.
It might have sounded like California dreaming when Most Valuable Promotions held its first MMA event at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers and fueled talk of overtaking the UFC. Only the talk continues the week after Ronda Rousey beat Gina Carano 17 seconds into their comeback fight at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Nakisa Bidarian, MVP’s CEO and co-founder with Jake Paul, said he does think their combat sports promotion company could overtake UFC.
“Seven to 10 years from now, that’s possible,’’ Bidarian told USA TODAY Sports. “There's no world where anyone can overtake the NBA, the NFL, the UFC, MLB in a two- to three-year period. And those that have tried have failed.
’’ Overtaking the UFC will require a long-term plan, said Bidarian, who worked for the UFC from 2011 to 2016 as CFO and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business. “They are the massive incumbent brand,’’ he said of the UFC, “but that's where the opportunity lies because they're a massive incumbent brand who's focused on 10 different things, but also isn't fighter first. ” Fighter first is the catchphrase MVP used in an attempt to separate itself from the UFC with higher fighter pay while partnering with Netflix on his MMA debut.
“So if we can come in, have the right distribution partner and start to show a pathway for young athletes, not just about now, you have to have long-term strategy,’’ he said. “Show a pathway for young athletes to have an option that has similar capabilities, then I think we can be a real player over the next seven to 10 years. ’’ The early returns look promising, with Netflix announcing viewership for the MVP MMA1 event peaked at 17 million.