Another week in MMA has come and gone, and while there was a UFC event this past weekend, the biggest story in the sport was the latest addition to MVP’s MMA card on Netflix: Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry.
Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Netflix was already big enough to make that event the most-watched MMA fight ever when it happens, but adding Diaz to the proceedings ensures that MVP’s first MMA event is going to be the event of the year, even over UFC White House.
So, let’s talk about that card and how MVP MMA looks moving forward.
How should MVP fill out its Netflix MMA card?
Dear Jed,
MVP and Netflix are already stomping a mudhole in the UFC White House card and walking it dry (happy belated 3:16 Day everyone), but what can we add to the May 16 lineup to truly drive the stake home?
This is a great question that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about since the MVP card was first announced. And frankly, I feel a little stupid about it since in my first go at this, I didn’t even consider the possibility of Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry. I honestly don’t know why, because the matchup makes a ton of sense, and both men are free agents.
So, first and foremost, kudos to MVP. Booking that fight was pretty much the perfect leg to complete this particular tripod. Nate and Mike add a ton of name value to the card overall, but they also add a promotional aspect that was missing with just Ronda, Gina, Francis Ngannou, and Philipe Lins, and they add a fight that should deliver some very good action. Barring something weird, MVP’s first MMA show is pretty much guaranteed to be a good viewing experience for casual audiences.
So, when we look at how else to fill out the card, that’s the first thing I think MVP should keep in mind: what is going to be fun for casual fans to enjoy? This should be the driving force behind their MMA efforts right now. To paraphrase Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, we don’t even know what this is yet. What we know right now is that MVP MMA has momentum, and they’ve brought some interest to the space. Build off that.
And the best way to do that is to use the undercard to give some love to emerging new talents the world over. If I were Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, I’d view this, and our future efforts, as one-off events where we try to put on the best, most exciting fights possible outside of the UFC. So, let’s grab a few of the best names available.
The biggest one is obviously Gable Steveson. Most assumed that the Olympic gold medalist would make his UFC debut at UFC White House, but that isn’t happening. If I were in charge of Steveson, I’d have done everything possible to get him on both cards, but with the White House now seemingly gone, I’d be calling MVP every day.
And likewise, MVP should relish the opportunity to put a credentialed young talent like Steveson on the event, preferably against some older name — Andrei Arlovski or something. For Steveson, it ups his profile in the biggest way possible, giving him more negotiating power with the UFC, and for MVP, if the UFC lowballs Steveson, maybe he sticks around for a couple of events. Win-win.
The next name I would be circling were I in charge is one of the most exciting young fighters in MMA: Kyoma Akimoto. If you don’t know him, Akimoto is 20 years old, and he’s been lighting the world on fire over in RIZIN for a few years now. Earlier this month, he had what will likely be his breakout performance, icing Patchy Mix at RIZIN 52. Akimoto is awesome, and I believe former PFL champion Brendan Loughnane is no longer under contract. Call RIZIN about loaning you Amikoto — I’m confident they would be open to it — and get that banger of a fight on the books.
Also, we’ve yet to confirm the matchup, but there are rumors that Lorenz Larkin vs. Jason Jackson is going to take place on the card, and that’s a perfectly fine matchup. Jackson is a former PFL champ, and Larkin is usually in fun fights. Neither adds a huge amount to the card from a casual perspective, but it should be a fun fight, and hardcore fans can enjoy it.
And finally, this one has also been floating around as a rumor, and hopefully it’s true: get Salahdine Parnasse in the building. Parnasse is one of the best fighters in the world, not currently in the UFC, and maybe just one of the best fighters in the world, period. I believe he’s still under contract with KSW, but do what it takes to get this man into your cage. It doesn’t really matter who. Just get him.
So, there you have it, MVP. Make some calls and get those done.
I gotta question for ya. What do you think would be a cooler setup for this Netflix MMA card, cage or ring? I know it’s been announced that the fights will take place in a hexagon cage, but I can’t help but think, for pure nostalgia purposes, that they’re missing an opportunity to throw the ring out there, signifying that this product is its own entity and a direct alternative to UFC, ala PRIDE FC.
I must be one of the few old MMA heads who simply do not want MMA to take place in a ring. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal. Rings absolutely look better and provide a better live viewing experience, but they’re simply not an optimal fighting surface for a sport with grappling. I think a square is not an ideal shape for MMA, and I dislike the constant resets when fighters get underneath or tangled in ropes. MMA is a sport built for a cage, so I actually like the idea of a hexagon cage.
That being said, there are other things MVP should do to improve the experience. Frankly, my view on MVP MMA is to take the same tack Vince McMahon did with the XFL, or Eric Bischoff did with WCW (I’ve been learning my wrestling history): look at what the controlling power does poorly, and do the opposite. Sure, neither the XFL nor WCW lasted, but some of their innovations did, and that’s not nothing.
Now, along those lines, I have a ton of wacky ideas that would be fun, but MVP would never do them. Still, I think there are some obvious wins available for them to take advantage of, the biggest being the ruleset. I don’t know if they can pull it off for this first event, but ONE Championship has held events in the United States while allowing knees to the head of a grounded opponent, and MVP should simply adopt those rules as they are obviously superior.
On top of that, let’s get our pacing down a little bit better. In my opinion, a sneaky-big reason BKFC and RAF have had such success is that their events fly by. PFL has, historically, been awful about pacing, but after moving to Paramount, the UFC hasn’t been good either. Casual audiences don’t want to watch eight hours of fights. Keep cards to eight fights, MAX, and don’t dawdle between bouts.
Those are just a couple of easy wins for MVP to succeed with right out of the gate. If y’all want some more ideas, hit me up. I consult for a very reasonable fee.
Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who sent in questions. Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send them to me. Every Sunday (sometimes I forget and it happens on Monday), I’ll put out a call for questions on The Feed. Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane; just drop your questions in there and let’s have fun.
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