EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJake Paul and MVP Promotions have taken another landmark step into MMA, as the company announced it is merging with the PFL on Thursday.The move will shift the PFL and its operations under the MVP Promotions umbrella, forming one combat sports company to include boxing and MMA.MVP broke into the MMA scene in May, with its first event featuring the return of Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano on Netflix. Paul has repeatedly promised to shake up the industry, which has long been dominated by the UFC. He has also teased his eventual competitive debut in professional MMA."We started MVP to disrupt a broken model," Paul said in a news release. "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. I look forward to putting my entire promotional muscle into our new company, returning to the boxing ring and making my MVP MMA debut."MVP Promotions is led by Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. PFL head John Martin, who joined the company in 2025, will continue to operate as CEO and board member.Since its launch in 2018, the PFL has established itself as home to the best MMA talent in the world outside the UFC -- particularly after its acquisition of Bellator MMA in 2023. It has historically searched for ways to draw more attention to the league, however, including multiple revamps of season and tournament formats. The merger will combine MVP's marketing prowess with a PFL roster that includes names such as Dakota Ditcheva, Usman Nurmagomedov, AJ McKee and Johnny Eblen."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 added in a statement. "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."As part of the merger, MVP announced a new capital raise by existing PFL shareholders 885 Capital and affiliated entities of Knighthead Capital Management.MVP's MMA debut in May drew 12.4 million viewers to Netflix, according to figures released by the company. Viewership peaked at 17 million, during Rousey's 17-second armbar victory over Carano in Los Angeles. MVP's umbrella already included its women's boxing division, MVPW, which airs on ESPN. The PFL also currently airs on ESPN in the U.S. through 2026."Since launching MVP, our goal has always been bigger than just building a boxing promotion," Bidarian said. "It has been to build the future of combat sports. In less than five years, MVP has become one of the most influential and culturally relevant brands in the industry, producing some of the biggest events in combat sports history, elevating women's boxing to unprecedented heights, and bringing millions of new fans into the fight game. The success of MVP MMA's first event confirmed our belief that there is enormous demand for a modern, fighter-first approach to MMA."
