Jake Paul is quite pleased with Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event, and he thinks the party has only just begun.
MVP MMA 1 was held inside the Intuit Dome this past Saturday. The comeback fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano headlined the card, and “Rowdy” scored the submission finish in a matter of seconds. Mike Perry stopped Nate Diaz via TKO, and Francis Ngannou scored a first-round knockout over Philipe Lins.
Chatting with reporters during the MVP MMA 1 post-fight press conference, Paul claimed Saturday’s show was the most exciting MMA card of 2026 near the midway point of the year (via MMAJunkie).
“The long-term strategy is whatever we want to make it,” Paul said. “We’re visionaries. We execute. We put in the time. We put fighters first, and we’re here to disrupt. That’s what we’ve been doing in the whole combat sports world. We did it in boxing, and tonight is an example of what we’re going to be doing in MMA going forward, breaking records. This is the most electric card of the year so far, and it’s really about the fans and the fighters and giving them the entertainment and the content that they want. That’s what I’m all about.
“I’m all about putting fighters first, getting them the paydays, and putting on these insane events like this.”
MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian also mentioned to reporters that MVP MMA 1 did big numbers. Bidarian said he viewed MVP’s first MMA card as a test, and it appears he feels the promotion exceeded expectations. This could leave the door open for more MVP MMA shows in the future.
If you watched the full MVP MMA 1 card, what was your impression? Did you enjoy the event or did it miss the mark? Join in on the conversation in the comments below?