Netflix’s venture into mixed martial arts alongside Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions was expected to be a landmark moment. The idea of Ronda Rousey making a comeback, Gina Carano returning after nearly two decades, and names like Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou sharing a card seemed like a surefire sellout.
However, just days before the event, the seating chart reveals a different reality. Ticketmaster currently shows large sections of the Intuit Dome still open, with more than half of the arena yet to be filled ahead of the scheduled date of May 16.
That doesn’t automatically mean Jake Paul’s MVP event is a failure—combat sports ticket sales often surge late in fight week. Still, it creates an awkward scenario for what’s being marketed as Netflix’s first major MMA showcase, especially since the lineup isn’t short of well-known fighters.
Dovy🔌 @DovySimuMMA · Follow
MVP Netflix MMA card still has many seats available 🤔
11:26 AM · May 11, 2026
In addition to the Rousey vs. Carano bout, the card features Nate Diaz versus Mike Perry, Francis Ngannou facing Philipe Lins, and Junior dos Santos returning to action. But part of the issue may come down to scheduling.
On the same night, the UFC is quietly hosting UFC Vegas 117 at the Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa. Even without arena crowds or massive production, UFC events tend to capture die-hard fans’ attention almost immediately.
While Jake Paul’s Netflix event leans heavily on spectacle and nostalgia, the UFC continues to dominate the weekly viewing habits of MMA enthusiasts. That puts MVP in an uncomfortable spot: trying to launch a new era of MMA streaming while competing with the organization that already owns fans’ loyalty.
And nostalgia doesn’t always work, especially when you have a fighter like Arnold Allen taking on one of the hottest prospects in his division, while most of MVP’s card features past-their-prime names like Nate Diaz, Ronda Rousey, and Francis Ngannou. As a result, fans gave Jake Paul and his promotion a blunt reality check.
Fight fans slam Jake Paul’s MVP for ‘washed’ fight card
That criticism quickly turned into mockery when people noticed how empty the arena looked days before the event. For many, the explanation was simple: fans didn’t view the card as a legitimate MMA product. Social media users accused Jake Paul’s MVP of focusing too much on aging stars and nostalgia rather than building excitement around active contenders.
“Because Jake Paul got us a bunch of old people fighting,” one fan wrote. Another added, “No surprise. It’s full of has-beens and never was.” Others were more brutal, with comments such as “Full of old washed fighters lmaoooo” and “Who wants to watch old chickens fighting on this s— card?”
Much of the criticism centered on Ronda Rousey, who had hyped the event by taking shots at the UFC. “This is not just the biggest women’s fight of all time,” Rousey told the press last month. “This is something that’s going to happen once in a lifetime in MMA; it is the beginning of something huge.”
Now that line is haunting her, as fans pushed back online. One fan wrote, “‘Biggest fight in MMA BAR NONE’—Delusional a– c— @rondarousey.” Others chimed in with, “But Rhonda said it’s the biggest MMA fight of all time,” and “They might do better by hyping their own fighters rather than trashing other promotions.”
Meanwhile, hardcore MMA fans admitted they’d rather watch the UFC. “We will be watching Allen vs Costa in the Apex instead of this,” one user posted, while another bluntly wrote, “Because mighty Arnold Allen at same time.”
That likely sums up the situation best. Even without massive production, celebrity involvement, or Netflix funding, the UFC currently has something Jake Paul’s MVP is trying to replicate: fans who instinctively prioritize the fights themselves over the spectacle around them.