Mailbag: After Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, where can MVP MMA go from here?

Readers are still reeling from last weekend’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano MVP event on Netflix. Questions abound regarding next steps and teachable moments after a much-watched MMA debut.

Plus, did the UFC’s Arnold Allen get the short end of the stick, putting on an excellent performance to a paltry audience? All that and more in this week’s mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @BenFowlkesMMA on X or @Ben_Fowlkes on Threads.

Do you think MVP on Netflix will be like Affliction? MVP didn’t set up where this is going next, and I can’t see them having long term success without having anything meaningful than having a fun night of fights for a few cards — SasAttack (@NoahSas23) May 20, 2026 @NoahSas23: Do you think MVP on Netflix will be like Affliction? MVP didn’t set up where this is going next, and I can’t see them having long term success without having anything meaningful than having a fun night of fights for a few cards In some crucial ways I think MVP is better positioned than Affliction was — and the biggest factor is Netflix.

Affliction tried to pivot from being the gaudiest, most overpriced T-shirt brand of the 2000s into being a live event promoter whose events were only available on pay-per-view. That’s a hard sell when we haven’t even seen whether or not you’re capable of staging a competent MMA event. Affliction also had a bunch of fighters who meant something to the hardcore fanbase (and cost a ton to get), but nothing resembling a mainstream star.