The promotional war between Jake Paul and Dana White is escalating, with Paul now taking the fight directly to White’s home turf: mixed martial arts. While the Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) inaugural event promises exciting matchups featuring Ronda Rousey, Francis Ngannou, and Nate Diaz, among others, it is not their final stop. It seems Paul wants to rival White’s UFC with a reality show.

“A former TUF staff member was recruited by MVP,” wrote Managing Partner of On The Road Management, Shu Hirata, on X. “And is now in charge of an MMA reality show that MVP is producing.”

“So, for men, the weight classes range from lightweight to light heavyweight, and for women, from atomweight to featherweight, and are for those 18 years and older… The broadcast will be on major platforms. Basically, I predict it will be a show that competes with TUF.”

For those unaware, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is an MMA reality show under UFC’s wing, which started back in 2005. Over 21 years, TUF has now completed 33 seasons in total. But what is the concept of the show? 16 fighters are typically brought to Las Vegas to live in a single house with no contact with the outside world.

Not just that, those fighters are split into two teams, each led by a high-profile UFC headliner (usually active champions or top contenders). However, in the last season (Season 33), which aired in 2025, retired legends took over as coaches for the first time. Daniel Cormier led one side, while Chael Sonnen stepped in for the other.

So, with such an interesting concept, the fighters compete in a knockout model. And the ultimate winners of each division get a contract. Now, TUF season 5 featured only a single weight class (lightweight), where Nate Diaz won and received his UFC contract. But apart from that, the show usually features two weight classes.

While the concept may sound complicated, UFC has successfully run it for several years. To that end, it drew MMA into the mainstream, creating massive viewership numbers, among others. Surely, Jake Paul with Most Valuable Promotions would want to replicate that.

But as of now, the official announcement of any potential MMA reality shows from MVP has yet to be made. Hence, their inaugural MMA card is the only prospect that might disrupt the UFC. And as it seems, one of the rival promoters is backing Paul to achieve success.

PFL CEO backs Jake Paul’s move to rival UFC

What is so interesting about Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event? It’s the card they have announced. Featuring former UFC stars like Ronda Rousey, Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, and Junior Dos Santos surely makes it exciting. But what else? While MVP is stepping into the MMA world for the first time, so is Netflix as a broadcaster.

Previously, the two have produced a record-breaking average of 108 million live viewers globally for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event. Citing that success, surely MVP and Netflix are eyeing to repeat the same on May 16 with their MMA event. And for that, PFL CEO John Martin seemingly wants them to succeed.

“I think they’re really interested to see how May performs, MVP,” said Martin on The Ariel Helwani Show. “And I think they know they’re the only game in town right now, right? So they’re going to do whatever they think is in their best interest. I actually hope May succeeds.”

“Why not have more platforms interested in MMA, which gives more opportunities for fighters? It’s good for everybody… I hope it works. I really do, and I respect the card that they put together.”

Martin’s thought process is quite clear. For years, UFC has held the monopoly in MMA. With the inclusion of budding promotions like Most Valuable Promotions, they might be able to dilute the leading MMA promotion’s dominance.

However, it still looks like a long shot, which would potentially depend on how the MVP x Netflix card performs at the Intuit Dome on May 16. On that note, do you think Jake Paul is planning to disrupt Dana White’s stronghold in the sport? Let us know in the comments below!