Joe Rogan is excited by Netflix’s entry into the mixed martial arts world this year.
The streaming platform will air an MMA event for the first time on May 16, with a card put together by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions taking place at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome.
A number of huge names are set to compete, including Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano in the main event. Joining the two headliners on the card are Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz, as well as a number of exciting prospects in the sport.
No MMA events have been announced by Netflix beyond its debut, but Rogan thinks they have the platform needed to stage them regularly.
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Joe Rogan sees the Netflix ‘business model’ having sustainable success in MMA
The UFC color commentator recently assessed Netflix’s arrival into MMA during an episode of his JRE MMA Show.
Guest Din Thomas questioned whether the streaming giant will be able to stay in the MMA space for a long period by regularly paying top stars like Rousey, Diaz, and Ngannou to fight.
While he admitted to not being the best businessman, Rogan attempted to explain why he believes Netflix should have what is required to create a sustainable presence in the sport.
“It’s exciting that Netflix is doing it. I like that there’s another place people can go,” Rogan said.
“Here’s the thing, it’s Netflix. Netflix has an insane amount of money and they keep raking it in… They’ve just gotta give people exciting things to want to watch and they’ll keep making more money.
“They have a completely different business model. Obviously, I’m not a businessman,” he continued. “In fact, I am a terrible businessman, but I would imagine you’ll just make money by giving people awesome s— so they keep tuning in.
“In that sense, they’re not gonna lose any money. There’s a lot of MMA fans that probably subscribe to Netflix just so they can watch that fight (Rousey vs Carano).
“Good for the fighters, (that’s) most important thing. I hope (it’s sustainable). Again, I am a terrible businessman, but just give the money to the fighters? They’re the ones who fight. Without that, you’ve got nothing.”
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Netflix is already becoming a mainstay in boxing since debuting with Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson in November 2024.
A number of other fights have taken place on the platform since, including Canelo Alvarez’s super-fight with Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury’s recent return against Arslanbek Makhmudov.