UFC is totally not a monopoly whatsoever, freely admits new-look MVP is ‘competition’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 14: (L-R) UFC CEO Dana White and TKO/Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro are seen in attendance during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Professional Fighters League (PFL) have merged.

class="wp-block-paragraph">With celebrity boxer Jake Paul and former UFC bean counter Nakisa Bidarian at the helm, the new-look MVP is promising to give Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) a run for its money; which by last count, is close to $8 billion smackeroos. MVP has yet to secure a TV deal or streaming partner and can’t seem to hold on to any of its top prospects, which is probably why UFC CEO Dana White panned the pointless partnership.

class="wp-block-paragraph">The UFC bigwigs, however, are taking notice.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“I would say that clearly on an individual, standalone basis, these promotions, both MVP and PFL, were not necessarily sustainable,” TKO president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro said during a financial call with investors (via MMA Fighting). “Now they’ve come together, and we’ll see what they can conjure up. What we know is that competition has always made us stronger and a rising tide lifts all boats.”

class="wp-block-paragraph">An evil monopoly would never make such a claim.

class="wp-block-paragraph">MVP MMA is expected to present its first show in early 2027 but it’s too early to speculate on what fighters will be attached to the card. Aside from aging UFC veterans like Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou, there’s not an abundance of talent outside of the existing PFL roster; which admittedly, is pretty strong.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Unfortunately, no one has been watching.