Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, has publicly criticized UFC president Dana White's treatment of fighters as MVP prepares to challenge the UFC's dominance in global MMA promotion. Bidarian, a former UFC Chief Strategy Officer and CFO, says MVP's mission is to build fighter IP and make athletes feel like the priority. MVP is set to merge with the PFL in 2027, with both products operating under the MVP banner.
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, has gone on the offensive against UFC president Dana White, publicly criticizing how the organization treats its fighters as MVP positions itself as a serious rival to MMA's dominant promotional force.
Bidarian, who previously served as UFC Chief Strategy Officer and CFO before departing to launch MVP alongside Jake Paul, framed his criticism around a core philosophical difference. Where he sees the UFC as prioritizing the company over its athletes, MVP is built, he argues, around the fighter first — developing individual athlete IP and ensuring competitors feel valued rather than expendable.
The remarks carry weight given Bidarian's insider background. Few people in MMA promotion have sat as close to the UFC's financial engine as he has, which lends his critique a specificity that outside observers rarely manage.
Why it matters
- MVP has announced a merger with the PFL set to take effect in 2027, with both products operating under the MVP banner, giving the combined entity a global footprint to better compete with the UFC
- A fighter-first promotional philosophy, if it translates into meaningfully better contracts and revenue sharing, could attract established talent looking for alternatives
- Bidarian's public pressure campaign on Dana White raises the profile of the UFC-MVP rivalry ahead of the merger, framing it as a values debate and not just a business competition
The 2027 consolidation of MVP and PFL represents one of the more significant structural shifts in MMA promotion in years. Whether Bidarian's stated vision survives contact with the commercial realities of running a major promotion at scale remains an open question, but his willingness to name White and draw a direct contrast signals that MVP intends to compete loudly, not quietly.
