How PFL Will Change After Jake Paul Deal

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will soon cease to exist.

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the company spearheaded by Jake Paul, has merged with PFL, the two organizations announced on Thursday. The newly unified promotional entity will operate under the MVP banner, combining "world-class boxing and MMA, live events, athlete development, and global content distribution into a single organization that puts fighters first and creates a next-generation combat sports company," according to the official statement.

"The future of combat sports is here. Welcome to MVP," read social media posts.

While PFL still has events scheduled through 2026, including one this Friday, the brand will be gradually phased out. By the start of the next calendar year, PFL, in its current form, is expected to be fully integrated into the new MVP organization.

MVP's leadership team will include Jake Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, with PFL's Jon Martin serving as CEO and a board member. Bidarian will oversee the boxing division and live events.

MVP made its initial foray into MMA in May with a record-breaking live Netflix event, featuring the returns of Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, Nate Diaz facing Mike Perry, and Francis Ngannou's re-entry into MMA.

The company hailed the event as a massive success and a testament to its potential to become a serious competitor to the UFC, a feat that US-based organizations like PFL and Bellator have not fully achieved.

Although MVP's inaugural MMA event was streamed live on Netflix, PFL currently holds a television broadcast agreement with ESPN. A new media distribution deal is anticipated to be finalized and announced before the end of the year.

Jake Paul, described in the official announcement as "the most followed combat sports promoter in the world," will "continue to leverage his platform, audience, and cultural influence to drive viewership growth, fighter development, brand expansion, and fan engagement across all facets of the business."

"We created MVP to change a broken model," Paul stated in the official release.

"We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modern stage to become global superstars. Merging with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade. We now have a platform of the necessary scale to give today's fans what they want – elite talent combined with culture, lifestyle, and massive social media velocity.

MVP has always been bigger than me and any individual fighter. MVP is an inevitable movement that needs to happen for the benefit of athletes, and now we have all the necessary resources to build something that will change this sport forever.

I believe in MVP more than ever, especially with the proliferation of artificial intelligence, which will only increase the value of true live events and sports organizations capable of bringing fans closer to their favorite athletes.

I look forward to pouring all my promotional power 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 in other organizations – we are ready to work with you when your contracts allow. The time for change has come. Welcome to MVP."

This week, PFL is on the East Coast for PFL New York, scheduled for Friday at Belmont Park, Long Island.