Two of the biggest icons of the women’s sport, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, will clash in the main event of MVP’s maiden voyage into mixed martial arts on May 16 inside Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome.
Much of the industry intrigue has focused on the event taking place on Netflix. Due to the reach of the platform, it’s likely this meeting of era-defining fighters could gain more eyeballs than UFC’s pièce de résistance for 2026 at the White House. There are also questions pertaining to the regularity of events like this — is this a one-off or is MVP officially in the MMA business? If it is, how many events can we expect every year? If it’s multiple, does that immediately make it the biggest rival to the UFC?
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Before any of that, we need to see how May 16 goes. Even though the main event is in place, one can’t help but wonder what to expect for the rest of the event. After all, every superfight needs an undercard.
When Netflix showed the world its emphasis on spectacle rather than sport with 2024’s boxing extravaganza between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, the event also delivered a solid supporting act with the rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano playing chief support to the freak-show.
With Carano out of action for 17 years and Rousey’s last bout taking place nearly a decade ago, MVP appear to be reading out of the old Bellator playbook, focusing on established veterans with name value in an effort to stimulate the masses — albeit with a much stronger cast. So while it’s unlikely MVP and Netflix will be able to match the sporting value of a Taylor vs. Serrano matchup, there are plenty of combatants available that can stir the pot in a similar way. Luckily for MVP, Paul’s promotional arm already has business relationships with several names from the MMA world, many of whom switched codes to trade leather with the promotion’s front man over the past number of years.
Former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley are already under the MVP umbrella.
(Ed Mulholland via Getty Images)
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Let’s talk about those notches on Paul’s belt.
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Sure, they didn’t have great success when they traded the Octagon for the squared circle, but they are still beloved legends of the game in MMA, which could bolster the intrigue around the card significantly.
Nate Diaz remains a free agent and is another storied icon, already written into the annals of his sport. He bounced back from his 2023 loss to Jake Paul with a majority decision boxing win over Jorge Masvidal in a surprisingly entertaining 2024 tussle and remains one of the most beloved figures in MMA.
You can’t rule out the ageless Anderson Silva making an appearance either. It’s been six years since the former UFC middleweight champion fought in the sport he once ruled, but he’s already made a big impression with Netflix due to his appearance on the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul undercard. As many will recall, that night he knocked another candidate for May 16’s undercard stiff.
That man, of course, was Tyron Woodley. Let’s be clear here, nobody is out here demanding the former UFC welterweight champion is on the card. By the time Rousey vs. Carano goes down, six months won’t have elapsed since his knockout loss at the hands of “The Spider.” That said, Woodley appears to have a great working relationship with MVP and his legacy in MMA speaks for itself.
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Despite his 2024 loss to Paul in the boxing ring, Mike Perry has reinvented himself as “The King of Violence” under the BKFC banner. He may have done a better job of repositioning himself than any other UFC fighter before him. Although he’s still under contract with BKFC, the bare-knuckle leader has shown some leniency in the past when it comes to big opportunities, namely the aforementioned Paul bout.
WILDCARDS
There are some relatively left-field options MVP could avail of too.
Rico Verhoeven, the long-reigning GLORY heavyweight champion and the biggest name in the world of kickboxing, at least entertained the idea of crossing over to the world of MMA before ultimately rejecting the UFC’s offer. It seems the boxing world is beckoning the Dutch legend, but MVP signing him could add insult to injury for the UFC after dropping the ball during their negotiation.
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You know who would be a great opponent for Verhoeven if he was to make his MMA debut on this card? Someone who is an undeniable fighter, whose signing could stoke the tension between Paul and UFC CEO Dana White? Francis Ngannou, that’s who. He’s already claimed that his PFL contract is due to expire before UFC’s White House event, so who’s to say he won’t be a free agent a month before that?
Could Francis Ngannou be a key player in MVP’s maiden MMA voyage?
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
Want to get crazy? We’re talking left field, right? How about a return to MMA after being released from prison for Cain Velasquez? Not only is he a famed former UFC champion, his legal situation has made him a sentimental figure within the sport. Getting him to compete could do a lot for MVP as they enter this new world.
IN THE FAMILY
What we have yet to discuss is the idea that this first main event could be a setup for either Rousey or Carano down the line. Luckily for MVP, Paul’s company just so happened to sign the main protagonist for one of the biggest nights of Rousey’s career.
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Holly Holm has returned to the boxing ring since her UFC exit — she scored a win on the Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard before a cut cost her a fight on the Amanda Serrano vs. Reina Tellez undercard in January. While her competing on the Rousey vs. Carano card is not the be-all and end-all, Holm must be in the arena that night to whet our appetites for a potential rematch in the event of a Rousey win.
And who could forget the man himself, Jake Paul. There’s no doubt he would add a lot of eyeballs to MVP’s big MMA launch, but I think it’s even more likely this could happen on a follow-up event with Netflix further down the line. Paul’s MMA debut has been batted around for years — he even signed for PFL at one stage. There was also the dangled carrot of a second meeting between him and Diaz, but in MMA. Regardless of the context, Paul fits the bill when it comes to Netflix’s appetite for spectacle, so don’t be too shocked if it comes to fruition in the future.
