The landscape of combat sports has changed dramatically. On Thursday, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the combat sports company founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, announced it has officially merged with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), creating a new global promotion that will combine boxing and mixed martial arts under one banner. The move effectively signals the end of the PFL as a standalone organization.
Although the PFL will continue promoting its remaining scheduled events throughout the rest of 2026 including this weekend’s card the promotion confirmed the PFL name will gradually disappear.
By the start of 2027, the league is expected to be fully integrated into the newly branded MVP organization.
In announcing the merger, the company unveiled a simple but ambitious message across its social media platforms:
“The future of combat sports is here. Welcome to MVP.”
A New Era for Combat Sports
According to the official announcement, the newly formed company will combine:
- Professional boxing
- Mixed martial arts
- Live event promotion
- Fighter development
- Global media distribution
- Original combat sports content
The promotion says its goal is to build a fighter-first organization capable of reshaping the future of combat sports on a global scale.
Leadership Structure Announced
The new company will be led by a combination of executives from both organizations.
Jake Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian will continue guiding MVP’s vision, while former PFL executive John Martin will serve as Chief Executive Officer and sit on the company’s Board of Directors.
Bidarian will oversee the promotion’s boxing operations and live-event business as MVP continues expanding into multiple combat sports.
The merger further solidifies Jake Paul’s evolution from prizefighter into one of combat sports’ most influential promoters.
According to the company’s announcement, Paul will continue using his enormous social media reach to expand MVP’s global audience, grow fighter brands, attract new fans, and develop future stars across both boxing and MMA.
What began as a boxing promotion centered around Paul’s own career has rapidly transformed into one of the sport’s fastest-growing promotional companies.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
