Jake Paul seems to be on cloud nine, and while enjoying his stay at the top, ‘The Problem Child’ has taken a subtle shot at Dwayne Johnson while celebrating the success of MVP MMA’s Netflix debut. Following the massive numbers generated by the inaugural event headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, Paul compared his new MMA venture to the XFL and its attempt to challenge the NFL.
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“MVP MMA was incredible,” he wrote on X. “Put it in perspective…how did XFL do compared to the NFL? What we did here is unprecedented and great for the sport. Congrats to all. More to come.”
At first glance, the comparison may sound random, but Jake Paul was obviously making a bigger point: new sports leagues and organizations should not be discounted just because they compete with giants like the UFC or NFL. And factually speaking, the comparison is somewhat valid.
MVP MMA was incredible. Put it in perspective…how did XFL do compared to the NFL? What we did here is unprecedented and great for the sport. Congrats to all. More to come…
The XFL, which was purchased by Dwayne Johnson’s ownership group for approximately $15 million following bankruptcy, sparked a lot of interest during its relaunches. The 2020 edition apparently drew over 3 million viewers during its debut weekend.
However, by 2023, regular XFL games were averaging between 500,000 and 700,000 viewers, with sources estimating the league lost tens of millions of dollars despite spending over $140 million on operations. Meanwhile, the NFL remains an unstoppable force, averaging 17 to 20 million viewers for regular games and more than 100 million for the Super Bowl.
That is where Jake Paul sees similarities to MMA. MVP MMA joined a sport that was entirely dominated by the UFC, just as the XFL tried to enter a football market controlled by the NFL. However, despite what many expected from a new MMA promotion, MVP’s debut card reportedly averaged 12.4 million global viewers on Netflix, peaking at nearly 17 million during the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano main event.
The event reportedly drew 11.6 million people in the United States alone, making it one of the most watched MMA broadcasts in history and the most watched MMA main event ever. Now, to be completely fair, MVP MMA is still far from the UFC in terms of overall performance.
The UFC boasts decades of infrastructure, a vast global roster, yearly schedules, and an established monopoly on elite MMA. Similarly, the XFL never posed a significant threat to the NFL. However, Jake Paul does not argue that MVP has already surpassed the UFC.
His point is that startup promotions may still cause massive disruption and meaningful numbers early on if they understand entertainment, distribution, and modern audiences. And, to be honest, when it comes to launch events, MVP MMA’s debut certainly exceeded what many people expected from a first-time MMA promotion far more than the XFL ever did in terms of football.
That does not imply that Jake Paul is suddenly “beating” the UFC. However, it explains why he is confident enough to poke fun at Dwayne Johnson’s football experiment while celebrating what Netflix and MVP have just accomplished. Also, there can be some frustration as well driving that could’ve made ‘The Problem Child’ take a subtle shot.
Jake Paul sends some TKO frustration towards Dwayne Johnson
The underlying animosity with TKO likely explains why Jake Paul sounded a little cocky when comparing MVP MMA to the XFL. Because, unlike Dwayne Johnson‘s football venture, Jake is not simply competing against an established league from the outside. He is in a direct feud with the corporate company that controls both the UFC and the WWE, while also completely banning him from attending their shows.
For the unaware, Dwayne Johnson officially joined TKO Group Holdings’ Board of Directors in early 2024 and reportedly owns approximately $41 million in shares. That means ‘The Brahma Bull’ is tied directly to the corporate structure that Jake Paul has spent years openly criticizing for fighter pay, UFC contracts, and Dana White‘s business practices.
‘The Problem Child’ also sees TKO as more than just another rival company. It is literally the face of the establishment he is trying to disrupt with MVP MMA. And Jake Paul has openly admitted that the beef has become personal.
“The fact that one of the biggest organizations in the world, the TKO Group, has this major beef with me,” he told SportsBible. “They won’t even let me go be in my brother’s WWE matches because they hate me so much.
“So it’s pretty wild how much under their skin we are. To me, it’s just been a fun journey. I enjoy s— talk. Like when people make fun of me.
I’m easy to make fun of. I’m able to make fun of myself. So the beef, to me, is just fun and entertaining for everybody.”
So, while the XFL comparison may have been playful on the surface, there is likely a layer of real frustration beneath it. To Jake Paul, a successful MVP event is more than just a business win. It’s another opportunity to prove that TKO’s dominance in combat sports is no longer unchallenged.
