On Saturday night, a big MMA event took place in Inglewood, California, without the UFC on its banner. Most Valuable Promotions, with the help of streaming giant Netflix, sought to show that there is life outside the Octagon and delivered an action-packed card full of finishes and cage-fighting greats at MVP MMA 1.
Following the events of the Rousey vs. Carano card inside the Intuit Dome, we take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from a rare successful MMA event not promoted by the UFC.
MVP should build to the Robalis Despaigne vs. Francis Ngannou fight
Two standout performances on the MVP MMA 1 card from two big men competing on Saturday night. Former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou and karate combat champion Robellis Despaigne. Both delivered highlight reel knockouts, especially the Cuban over heavyweight legend Junior dos Santos.
If MVP can afford to bring Ngannou back for their next event, they should do so. Likewise for DeSpain. And the ultimate goal is to build up the latter to feel like a legitimate threat to Cameroonians. A potential clash between the two heavyweights could easily headline MVP MMA 3 or 4 in 2027.
Rousey vs. Carano felt like Strikeforce reborn, and that's a good thing
It's been a long time since the UFC had a legitimate competitor in terms of vibe. Certainly, Bellator and the PFL have done their best over the last five-plus years to show that they were a worthwhile alternative to the UFC. However, you have to go back to the early 2010s and the last time Strikeforce had a strong No. 2 option in an MMA game.
On Saturday, MVP MMA 1 felt like Strikeforce was reborn, and that's a good thing. The California-based brand didn't fail because it couldn't deliver a good product. Unfortunately its owners were unwilling to invest the money to make it a long-term success, and the UFC bought out its deep and talented roster.
The way the ring entrances were arranged last night, Mauro Ranallo and Kenny Florian were a rock-solid team on commentary, and with a card that featured some good action and finishes, including a submission win for Ronda Rousey, it felt like Strikeforce had been revived. If this is the way MVP MMA is headed, it's a great thing for MMA fans.
MVP MMA 1 was an entertaining card, and one of its unique elements was a cross-promotion fight between Tuff-N-Uff's Lightweight Champion and KSW Champion Kenneth Cross and Salahdin Parnasse. That fight also provided an exciting finish to the first round and was a showcase for casual fans of some of your lesser-known talents in the sport.
If MVP can continue to get top talent from regional promotions from around the world and face them, it could be a really fun showcase element to their fight cards that helps both the fighters and those promotions. More than that please.
Rousey vs. Carano delivers an action-packed card
While the Rousey vs. Carano event started with three straight decisions on the preliminary card, the rest of the event was a roller coaster ride of blood, violence, and knockouts. In the end, this is what MMA fans want, and the lack of highlight reel moments was or has been one of the biggest problems for UFC competitors like Bellator and the PFL.
MVP MMA 1 provided value for fans, and the promotion couldn't have asked for a better card than Saturday in its debut.
Fighters get paid well on MVP MMA 1 card
A big issue for fight fans has been that the UFC's monopoly on the sport has resulted in surprisingly low pay for their fighters. This also has many in the boxing sport concerned, as TKO – the parent company of the UFC – wants to get the fighter pay structure of the MMA world leaders down to a sweet science.
However, MVP co-owner Jake Paul has always tried to point out the salary issues for fighters in the UFC and has put his money on MVP MMA 1. CSAC released fight purses for the promotion's first MMA events, and no fighter earned less than $40,000. Additionally, three competitors earned more than $1 million, with Rousey leading the way with $2.2 million.
MVP MMA being successful and increasing the salaries of fighters is a huge potential for the sport.
The Rousey vs. Carano card felt big and MMA desperately needed it
In the end, MVP MMA 1: Rousey vs. Carano felt huge. Whether you wanted to watch the two female MMA pioneers fight or not, when you watched it on Netflix, the event and their bout felt gorgeous and meaningful. It felt like a mix of a UFC card and a major boxing event.
It's been two decades since a significant event happened in MMA that had nothing to do with the UFC. The fact that the card was distributed further increased its relevance. MVP MMA 1 was something the game desperately needed, and hopefully there's more to come.
