Netflix’s entry into the MMA world alongside Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions was supposed to feel massive. A returning Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano‘s return after nearly two decades away, and stars like Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou on the same card felt like the type of event that would sell itself.
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Instead, days before the fight, the seating map tells a completely different story. Ticketmaster currently shows large sections of the Intuit Dome still available, with more than half of the arena still available ahead of the May 16 event.
That does not necessarily mean that Jake Paul’s MVP card is doomed—combat sports ticket sales typically peak late in fight week—but it does present an odd image for what is being advertised as Netflix’s first major MMA event, especially when the card itself does not lack recognizable names.
MVP Netflix MMA card still has many seats available 🤔
Along with Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, the card includes Diaz vs. Mike Perry, Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins, and Junior dos Santos‘ return to action. So, it looks like part of the problem may simply be timing.
On the same night, the UFC is quietly hosting UFC Vegas 117 at the Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa. Even without arena crowds or huge production, UFC events have a habit of capturing the attention of die-hard fans almost immediately.
And, while Jake Paul’s Netflix event clearly leans toward spectacle and nostalgia, the UFC continues to control the MMA audience’s weekly viewing habits. This puts MVP in an awkward position: trying to usher in a new era of MMA streaming while fighting against the same machine that already owns the sport’s attention span.
And sometimes, even nostalgia can fail you, especially when you have someone like Arnold Allen fighting one of the hottest fighters in his division, while most of MVP’s card features fighters way like Nate Diaz, Ronda Rousey and Francis Ngnanou, who are past their prime. As a result, fans couldn’t help but give Jake Paul and his promotion a blunt reality check.
Fight fans call out Jake Paul’s MVP MMA for ‘washed’ fight card
That criticism immediately turned into mockery when people noticed how empty the arena was days before the event. For many, the explanation was simple: fans didn’t see the card as a real MMA product. Instead, social media fans criticized Jake Paul‘s MVP for focusing too much on aging stars and nostalgia rather than building real excitement around active contenders.
“Because Jake Paul got us a bunch of old people fighting,” one fan wrote. Another added, “No surprise. It’s full of has-beens and never was.” Others mocked the lineup more brutally, with comments such as “Full of old washed fighters lmaoooo” and “Who wants to watch old chickens fighting on this s— card?”
Much of the criticism centered around Ronda Rousey herself after she continuously hyped the event by taking digs at the UFC.
“This is not just the biggest women’s fight of all time,” Rousey told the press last month. “This is something that’s going to happen once in a lifetime in MMA; it is the beginning of something huge.”
Now this very line is coming back to haunt her as fans immediately pushed back on that claim online. One fan wrote, “‘Biggest fight in MMA BAR NONE’—Delusional a– c— @rondarousey.” More chimed in with comments such as, “But Rhonda said it’s the biggest MMA fight of all time,” and “They might do better by hyping their own fighters rather than trashing other promotions.”
At the same time, plenty of hardcore MMA fans admitted they simply plan to watch the UFC instead. “We will be watching Allen vs Costa in the Apex instead of this,” one user posted, while another bluntly wrote, “Because mighty Arnold Allen at same time.”
That probably explains the most about the situation. Even without massive production, celebrity involvement, or Netflix funding, the UFC currently has something Jake Paul’s MVP is currently trying to replicate: fans who instinctively prioritize the fights themselves over the spectacle around them.
