Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and the Professional Fighters League have merged under the MVP name.
The companies announced on Thursday that the combined organization will operate across boxing, mixed martial arts, live events, athlete development and international media distribution.
PFL’s roster, infrastructure and global operations will form the basis of MVP MMA, with the transition scheduled to take place over the coming months.
PFL CEO John Martin will lead the combined company and serve on its board. Paul and Nakisa Bidarian retain active roles as co-founders and board members, with Bidarian continuing to oversee MVP’s boxing operations and major live events.
Martin previously served as chairman and CEO of Turner and as chief financial officer of Time Warner. E
xisting PFL shareholders 885 Capital and Knighthead Capital Management will become founding investors in the merged company and have committed additional funding.
The organization says its combined roster will include nearly 400 boxers and mixed martial artists. MVP will serve as the master brand, while its existing boxing operation and women’s division, MVPW, will continue alongside the expanded MMA business.
The transaction follows MVP’s entry into mixed martial arts in May. Its first MMA event streamed globally on Netflix and featured former WWE performer Ronda Rousey defeating Gina Carano by submission in 17 seconds.
MVP and PFL currently have media relationships that include Netflix, ESPN and Sky Sports, along with PFL distribution agreements across several international territories.
