MVP MMA 1 will bring back visible fighter sponsorships and guarantee a $40,000 minimum payout when it debuts with Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Sat., May 16, 2026.
The event, titled “MVP MMA 1: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano,” takes place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., and will stream live on Netflix. MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian confirmed that athletes on the card can display sponsors on walkout gear, fight shorts, and fight tops, while earning at least $40,000.
“When we started MVP, Jake [Paul] and I definitely talked about the possibility of it,” Bidarian said. “We both clearly aligned on that we want fighters to have their own individuality and the opportunity to make extra money where they can because we’re not in a position yet like UFC to meaningfully provide the athlete outfitting policy.”
“When you look at what we’ve done with Netflix — we’ve maintained the balance of athletes in the boxing events and now with this MMA event, they will have sponsors on their walkout gear, fight shorts, on their fight top — if they wear one,” he added.
Bidarian noted there will be limits on the types of companies that can appear on fight gear. “There are obviously categories that you can’t have sponsors from, and there are specific ones that may not get approved because they are illegal or not regulated, but overall it is a great opportunity for the fighters.”
