Jake Paul, along with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, are now in charge of Professional Fighters League (PFL) following a “landmark merger” between the two organizations. The new company will operate under the MVP banner with PFL’s John Martin transitioning to CEO and Board Member of the new promotion.
885 Capital and Knighthead Capital, who already dumped a ton of money into PFL, will help fund the new combat sports venture. The brand migration is expected to be completed by Jan. 2027, which is right around the same time as Scott Coker and his new MMA promotion are expected to launch.
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“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.”
More on this in just a bit.