Jake Paul’s MVP, PFL staff up in ‘landmark’ fight sports activities merger

Jake Paul and Most Priceless Promotions have taken one other landmark step into MMA, as the corporate introduced it’s merging with the PFL on Thursday.

The transfer will shift the PFL and its operations below the MVP umbrella, forming one fight sports activities firm to incorporate boxing and MMA.

MVP broke into the MMA scene in Might, with its first occasion that includes the return of Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano on Netflix. Paul has repeatedly promised to shake up the business, which has lengthy been dominated by the UFC. He has additionally teased his eventual aggressive debut in skilled MMA.

“We began MVP to disrupt a damaged mannequin,” Paul stated in a information launch. “We wished to offer fighters truthful pay and a much bigger, modernized stage to turn into world superstars. Becoming a member of forces with PFL accelerates that imaginative and prescient by a decade. I look ahead to placing my whole promotional muscle into our new firm, returning to the boxing ring and making my MVP MMA debut.”

MVP is led by Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. PFL head John Martin, who joined the corporate in 2025, will proceed to function as CEO and board member.

Since its launch in 2018, the PFL has established itself as residence to the very best MMA expertise on this planet exterior the UFC — significantly after its acquisition of Bellator MMA in 2023. It has traditionally searched for tactics to attract extra consideration to the league, nevertheless, together with a number of revamps of season and event codecs. The merger will mix MVP’s advertising prowess with a PFL roster that features names comparable to Dakota Ditcheva, Usman Nurmagomedov, AJ McKee and Johnny Eblen.

“Over the previous seven years, PFL has constructed the world’s No. 2 world MMA firm, assembling one of many sport’s most elite fighter rosters whereas making a world-class world enterprise with premier media distribution throughout 34 broadcast and streaming companions, reaching followers in additional than 170 nations,” Martin added in an announcement. “On the identical time, MVP has redefined how fight sports activities connects with a brand new era of followers, creating occasions that turn into cultural moments and proving that athletes, sports activities, leisure and creators can all thrive collectively. This merger brings scale in operations, in distribution and media rights, in sponsorship, in fighter growth and in fan engagement.”

As a part of the merger, MVP introduced a brand new capital elevate by present PFL shareholders 885 Capital and affiliated entities of Knighthead Capital Administration.

MVP’s MMA debut in Might drew 12.4 million viewers to Netflix, in response to figures launched by the corporate. Viewership peaked at 17 million, throughout Rousey’s 17-second armbar victory over Carano in Los Angeles. MVP’s umbrella already included its ladies’s boxing division, MVPW, which airs on ESPN. The PFL additionally presently airs on ESPN within the U.S. by way of 2026.

“Since launching MVP, our aim has all the time been larger than simply constructing a boxing promotion,” Bidarian stated. “It has been to construct the way forward for fight sports activities. In lower than 5 years, MVP has turn into probably the most influential and culturally related manufacturers within the business, producing a few of the largest occasions in fight sports activities historical past, elevating ladies’s boxing to unprecedented heights, and bringing tens of millions of recent followers into the struggle recreation. The success of MVP MMA’s first occasion confirmed our perception that there’s monumental demand for a contemporary, fighter-first method to MMA.”

Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in December. He suffered a damaged jaw within the contest and underwent surgical procedures in December and February.

Paul instructed SportsCenter on Thursday that he want to return to the ring later this yr earlier than making his MMA debut in 2027. He has been linked to quite a few potential MMA opponents, together with Nate Diaz and Mike Perry, who fought one another at MVP MMA 1.

“I have been making an attempt to make [my MMA debut] occur for a very long time,” Paul stated. “It is actually simply all the way down to negotiations behind the scenes. I’ll come again, hopefully, this yr into boxing after which trying to do MMA in 2027. There’s nonetheless an extended listing of opponents on the market I need to [box], huge names.

“I am solely creating my abilities. I am 29 years previous, nonetheless an extended strategy to go on my path to a world champion. That is what I would like to have the ability to do and attain.”