In a bumper new agreement, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) mixed martial arts promotion has merged with nascent combat sports organization Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
The agreement sees the pair combine their operations into what they call a ‘global combat sports platform powerhouse,' operating under the MVP banner.
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Nakisa Bidarian and influencer Jake Paul, the co-founders of MVP, will ‘lead’ the new organization, maintaining seats on the board of directors, joined by current PFL chief executive John Martin, who will maintain his role as the chief executive of the new merged organization, overseeing business operations.
Speaking on the announcement, Martin said: “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.
Investment funds Knighthead Capital and 885 Capital, which took control of PFL at the beginning of 2026, will be the ‘founding investors’ of the new PFL entity, and have put new investment into the project.
Ara Cohen, co-founder and managing member of Knighthead Capital, explained the decision: “This transaction brings together highly complementary assets to create a scaled global combat sports platform with significant long-term growth potential. MVP has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build audiences, create cultural relevance, and elevate athletes, while PFL has built world-class MMA operations, international reach, and a deep roster of talent.
“We are pleased to deepen Knighthead Capital’s investment and support John Martin, Jake Paul, Nakisa Bidarian, and the broader leadership team as they build what we believe can become one of the premier global sports media and entertainment platforms.”
The combined organization MVP will cover two primary verticals, MMA and boxing, with MVP MMA representing the former, and MVP and MVPW representing the men’s and women’s arms of the latter.
In August alone, MVP says that these two verticals will produce five ‘premium live events’ (PLE’s), illustrative of its new “capabilities."
These events will be broadcast across PFL and MVP’s existing range of global broadcast partners.
Over the past year, PFL’s ongoing search for a long-term media rights partner in the crucial US market has been a recurring theme, and with this merger, the promotion will likely have the clout to secure even greater media rights fees than what they each may be able to garner alone.
MVP’s first MMA event, took place in May, with Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano drawing at close to 17 million (globally) on streaming platform Netflix.
MVP and Netflix already have a significant relationship when it comes to boxing – indeed, the streamer was most recently the global broadcaster for the December bout between heavyweight Anthony Joshua and Paul, which drew a global audience of more than 30 million on the service.
Prior to that, Netflix also showcased Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in November 2024, which was watched by over 60 million households worldwide.
