Jake Paul has not yet stepped into a professional MMA cage, but his business partner Nakisa Bidarian is already predicting that his debut will attract a record audience.
The Most Valuable Promotions co-founder told TMZ Sports that he has “no doubt” Paul’s first MMA fight will become the most-viewed match in the sport’s history.
“Jake definitely wants to do MMA,” Bidarian said. “And I will say here on this show with you today that when Jake Paul enters the cage, our Hexagon, it will be the most viewed MMA match in history.”
Paul has said he intends to make his MMA debut after returning to boxing later in 2026, with 2027 currently his target.
Bidarian Wants Nate Diaz Across the Cage From Paul
Paul and Diaz previously fought under boxing rules in August 2023, with Paul winning by unanimous decision. Moving the rivalry into an MMA cage would allow Diaz to use the grappling and submission skills that helped define his UFC career.
Bidarian said Diaz is interested in another fight with Mike Perry. Diaz and Perry met at MVP MMA 1 in May, with Perry winning by TKO after the second round. Bidarian said MVP supports a potential rematch before turning its attention toward Paul.
“Hopefully, yeah, Jake and Nate would be unbelievable,” he told TMZ Sports. No agreement for Paul-Diaz or a Diaz-Perry rematch has been announced.
The PFL Merger Gives Paul an Established MMA Platform
Bidarian’s prediction comes days after Most Valuable Promotions and the Professional Fighters League announced a merger that will place both boxing and MMA properties under the MVP banner.
According to the official merger announcement, PFL’s roster, global operations, media assets and event infrastructure will form the foundation of MVP MMA as the branding transition is completed. Paul and Bidarian will serve as co-founders and board members of the combined company, while PFL CEO John Martin will lead the organization as CEO and a board member.
The merger gives MVP access to a roster of more than 300 PFL fighters and an international distribution network spanning more than 170 countries. MVP and PFL said their existing media relationships include Netflix, ESPN and Sky Sports, but they have not announced which platform would carry Paul’s eventual MMA debut.
Paul Has Now Publicly Committed to Making His MMA Debut
Paul originally signed an exclusive MMA agreement with PFL in 2023 but continued competing exclusively as a boxer. The July merger announcement included his clearest recent commitment to eventually enter the cage.
“I look forward to putting my entire promotional muscle into our new company, returning to the boxing ring and making my MVP MMA debut,” Paul said. He subsequently targeted 2027 for that debut, saying he first plans to box again later in 2026 and then devote himself to MMA preparation.
Paul acknowledged that despite his wrestling background, he has not previously undertaken dedicated MMA training and will need to develop multiple parts of his game before competing professionally.
MVP Already Drew Millions of Viewers With Its First MMA Event
Bidarian’s prediction follows MVP’s first professional MMA event in May, headlined by Ronda Rousey’s return against Gina Carano. MVP reported that the Netflix event peaked at nearly 17 million global viewers, while its three main-event fights averaged 12.4 million viewers worldwide.
Paul has also demonstrated his ability to draw a substantially larger audience in boxing. His November 2024 fight against Mike Tyson generated an estimated average-minute audience of 108 million live viewers worldwide, according to Netflix. The platform also reported a peak of 65 million concurrent streams.