Jake Paul says UFC is “dying” as MVP launches MMA push

Jake Paul believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s grip on mixed martial arts is weakening as his Most Valuable Promotions prepares to enter the sport.

Paul made the claim during a press conference announcing an upcoming MMA event headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. The show, scheduled for May 16 in Los Angeles, will stream live on Netflix and marks the first MMA event promoted by MVP.

Paul said the promotion sees a major opportunity to challenge the UFC’s position in the sport.

“The MMA is in a weird position right now, and it’s the wild west,” Paul said. “I believe the UFC is dying and MVP is here to take over.”

The YouTuber-turned-boxer has built MVP primarily around boxing events over the past several years, but the company is now expanding into MMA promotion.

Paul and co-founder Nikisa Bidarian previously partnered with Netflix for boxing broadcasts and said the upcoming show represents another step in building a broader combat sports platform.

“This is the MVP way,” Paul said during the event announcement. “Four and a half years into building this company and we’re doing the first ever MMA event live on Netflix.”

Paul also argued that fighters are increasingly looking for alternatives to traditional promotion models, suggesting that new broadcast platforms and promotional companies could reshape the landscape of combat sports.

The May 16 card will be held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Along with the Rousey-Carano main event, the card will feature former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou competing in MMA for the first time since his departure from the promotion.

Paul said his goal is to build events that give fighters larger platforms and new revenue opportunities as the combat sports market continues to evolve.

“MMA is in a weird position right now,” Paul said. “There is massive opportunity here.”