The highly anticipated merger between MVP and PFL is now official.
On Thursday, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced that they have joined forces under the MVP banner, creating a global sports and entertainment powerhouse. The new company will combine boxing, MMA, media, live events, athlete development, and worldwide content distribution under one umbrella.
Rumors of a potential deal first surfaced earlier this month after combat sports insider Front Row Brian reported that discussions were taking place. Those reports have now become reality, marking one of the biggest business moves in recent combat sports history.
Under the new structure, MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian will serve as board members and lead the company’s vision, while former PFL executive John Martin will take on the role of CEO and board member.
Bidarian believes the merger represents the next phase of MVP’s long-term mission to reshape combat sports
.
“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. This merger accelerates our MMA ambitions while strengthening our ability to continue investing in boxing and MVPW. By combining MVP’s audience-building engine, storytelling capabilities, and brand with PFL’s roster, infrastructure, and international footprint, we are creating a new global home for combat sports. Under the leadership of John Martin, a world-class media executive with deep MMA knowledge, and investment from leading financiers 885 Capital and Knighthead Capital, MVP is going to achieve great things for fighters, fans, and partners.”
Jake Paul echoed those sentiments and emphasized that the merger aligns perfectly with MVP’s vision of creating greater opportunities for fighters.
“We started MVP to disrupt a broken model,” Paul said. “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. 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.
“I have more conviction in MVP than ever, driven by the proliferation of AI, which will only increase the value of real, live experiences and the sports properties that can bring fans closer to the athletes they love. 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. Welcome to MVP.”
“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, distribution and media rights, sponsorship, fighter development, and 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.”
Despite the merger, both companies will maintain key parts of their existing operations.
MVP and MVPW will continue serving as the company’s boxing divisions, while PFL’s roster, league structure, global operations, and media assets will form the foundation of MVP MMA.
According to company officials, Friday’s event headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov and Archie Colgan will still operate under the PFL banner, with MVP serving as the parent brand.
