Jake Paul and Most Valuable promotions have officially solidified their footing in the MMA world.
In a blockbuster announcement Wednesday, MVP and the Professional Fighters League revealed they are merging under the MVP banner, creating a new global combat sports company that will house boxing, MMA, blockbuster live events, and worldwide media distribution under one roof. The move marks a massive step in MVP’s expansion into mixed martial arts while giving the PFL a powerful promotional and media engine to fuel its next chapter.
“We started MVP to disrupt a broken model. We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modernized stage to become global superstars. Joining forces with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade,” Paul said in a press release.
“We now have a scaled platform to give today’s fans what they want: elite talent mixed with culture, lifestyle, and massive social velocity. MVP was always bigger than me and bigger than any one fighter. MVP is an inevitable movement that needs to happen for the athletes, and now we have all the resources we need to build something that changes this sport forever.”
While the company will be led by Paul and Nakisa Biarian, current PFL leader John Martin will serve as CEO and board member for the promotion.
“Over the past seven years, PFL has built the world’s No. 2 global MMA company, assembling one of the sport’s most elite fighter rosters while creating a world-class global business with premier media distribution across 34 broadcast and streaming partners, reaching fans in more than 170 countries,” Martin said.
“At the same time, MVP has redefined how combat sports connects with a new generation of fans, creating events that become cultural moments and proving that athletes, sports, entertainment and creators can all thrive together. This merger brings scale – in operations, in distribution and media rights, in sponsorship, in fighter development and in fan engagement. We’re not just combining companies, we’re bringing an entire combat sports community together and creating a more powerful platform to accelerate growth. One company, one global stage, millions of fans and we’re only just getting started.”
For the PFL, the merger marks another historic turning point following its acquisition of Bellator MMA in 2023. At the time, there was widespread belief that absorbing Bellator’s roster and infrastructure would elevate the promotion into a true competitor on the global stage.
Despite adding elite talent and expanding its roster, the PFL struggled to consistently capture mainstream attention or establish the momentum many expected after the acquisition.
Now the promotion turns to Paul, who helped oversee MVP’s successful entry into mixed martial arts with MVP MMA 1 in May. Headlined by Ronda Rousey’s return against Gina Carano, the event was a success, drawing a peak audience of 17 million viewers and demonstrating MVP’s ability to generate mainstream attention in the MMA space.
“I look forward to putting my entire promotional muscle into our new company, returning to the boxing ring and making my MVP MMA debut. To all current MVP and PFL fighters, things just got bigger. To fighters fighting in other organizations, we are open for business when you are contractually free. The time for change is now,” Paul said.
“Welcome to MVP.”
