The first MVP MMA card comes this weekend, and the inaugural MMA outing from Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions brings the returns of two women’s MMA legends.
In the main event of MVP MMA, Ronda Rousey takes on Gina Carano in a women’s featherweight matchup.
After winning a judo bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics, Rousey made her pro MMA debut in 2011, quickly going on to win the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship. She became the UFC’s inaugural champion in the weight class and competed in the UFC’s first women’s MMA bout, going on to have a legendary title reign until Holly Holm ended it at UFC 193.
Rousey hasn’t fought since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. She has since had two stints with the WWE, going on to become a multiple-time women’s world champion in professional wrestling.
Carano made her professional MMA debut in 2006, winning seven straight fights while competing for promotions like Strikeforce and EliteXC. Carano has not fought since her sole pro loss, losing the inaugural Strikeforce women’s featherweight title fight in 2009 against Cris Cyborg. Carano has since gone on to have a career in film and television.
The co-main event will feature another legendary MMA name, Nate Diaz, taking on Mike Perry.
This will be Diaz’s first professional MMA fight since defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Diaz has since fought twice in boxing, losing to Jake Paul and defeating former UFC rival Jorge Masvidal.
This will be Perry’s first MMA fight in five years, having not competed in the discipline since his April 2021 loss to Daniel Rodriguez. He’s since made a name for himself with BKFC, becoming their King of Violence and scoring wins over the likes of Michael “Venom” Page, Eddie Alvarez, and Jeremy Stephens.
Also featured will be the return of Francis Ngannou, as he takes on Phillipe Lins. After departing the UFC as heavyweight champion, Ngannou fought just once with the PFL, defeating Renan Ferreira in October 2024. Lins, who won the inaugural PFL heavyweight season in 2018, hasn’t fought since defeating Ion Cutelaba at UFC 299. He departed the UFC on a four-fight win streak, going 4-2 in the promotion.
The main card will also feature Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross and Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne.
MVP MMA Betting Odds
Here are the latest betting odds for MVP MMA, as of 1 am ET on May 14, courtesy of DraftKings:
NOTE: As of the time of writing, many prop bets for prelim bouts are not available
Preliminary Card (YouTube, 6 pm ET)
Catchweight (165 lbs): Chris Avila (+250) vs. Brandon Jenkins (-310)
Catchweight (130 lbs): Aline Pereira (-425) vs. Jade Masson-Wong (+330)
Featherweight: David Mgoyan (-535) vs. Albert Morales (+400)
Welterweight: Jason Jackson (N/A) vs. Jefferson Creighton (N/A)
Catchweight (130 lbs): Adriano Moraes (N/A) vs. Phumi Nkuta (N/A)
Welterweight: Namo Fazil (-345) vs. Jake Bobian (+275)
Main Card (Netflix, 9 PM ET)
Heavyweight: Junior dos Santos (+300) vs. Robelis Despaigne (-380)
Lightweight: Salahdine Parnasse (-1100) vs. Kenneth Cross (+700)
Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (-1450) vs. Philipe Lins (+850)
Welterweight: Nate Diaz (+180) vs. Mike Perry (-218)
Women’s Featherweight: Ronda Rousey (-535) vs. Gina Carano (+400)
MVP MMA Predictions & Best Bets
Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano: It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen either woman in action, and somehow, still one woman has been way out of the cage longer than the other. This one is ultimately going to come down to who has more rust on them and how seriously the two take this fight. Some feel that Carano will have a size factor in this fight and overwhelm Rousey with her striking; however, it’s hard to pick Carano when it’s been 17 years since her last fight. At least the time in WWE has kept Rousey in some form of combative, athletic action. (Prediction: Rousey) (Best Bet: Rousey to win via submission in Round 1 [+100])
Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry: This one is WILD and can fall any way. Both men have been away from professional MMA for a few years, with Diaz having a couple of boxing matchups and Perry becoming the star of BKFC. Diaz could look to use his grappling to his advantage, but how much of that will he do compared to trying to get into a wild scrap with “Platinum” Perry? Let’s lean toward Diaz being smart in this one and catching a wild Perry for a victory. The fight’s going one of two ways, and both don’t see this fight going to the final horn. (Prediction: Diaz) (Best Bet: Fight does NOT go the distance [-130])
Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins: Philipe Lins might have exited the UFC on a four-fight win streak, but he and Ngannou have been out of action for a similar amount of time. And when it comes to strength, Lins doesn’t compare to what “The Predator” can offer. He is going to need to find a way to touch up Ngannou while avoiding his power. Doing that for 15 full minutes is a lot easier said than done, though. (Prediction: Ngannou) (Best Bet: Ngannou to win via KO/TKO/DQ in Round 1 [-135])
Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross: For this event to be more than just a one-and-done, it needs to have some strong undercard and rising names to balance out with the big stars. Those who really love this sport and have not seen Salahdine Parnasse fight yet will be in for a treat. He’s won two titles in the KSW, and his boxing base has provided him with strong knockout power and a great finishing ability (with great ground game to balance it out). Meanwhile, Kenneth Cross is a solid veteran with a strong wrestling background who looks to end things on the ground. This should be a fun outing, but Parnasse has more to him in terms of skillset and upside, and that should give him the edge here. (Prediction: Parnasse) (Prediction: Parnasse to win in Round 2 [+330])
Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne: Junior dos Santos is a legendary name in the UFC, but his tenure there ended with a four-fight losing skid between 2019 and 2020. He’s fought just three times since — two times competing in bare-knuckle MMA. Robelis Despaigne had a strong UFC start at UFC 299, but his two losses afterward left a lot to be desired. Still, he’s found a home for himself in Karate Combat, where he knocked out Sam Alvey to become their heavyweight champion. JDS’ age and time away from competition are not going to fare well for him here, especially against someone like Despaigne who can use his size and Taekwondo and karate-based striking to put the former UFC heavyweight champion in trouble. (Prediction: Despaigne) (Best Bet: Despaigne to Win by KO/TKO/DQ in Round 1 [-125])
Namo Fazil vs. Jake Babian: These two are up-and-coming welterweights looking to make a statement on a big stage. Both are strong strikers, with Fazil combining Muay Thai and taekwondo, while Babian mixes up his boxing with work in jiu-jitsu. This might be closer than what the odds suggest as of now, but Fazil’s striking seems just that more developed, and it probably leads him to a win. (Prediction: Fazil)
Adriano Moraes vs. Phumi Nkuta: It’s a shame that we’re not getting Adriano Moraes vs. Muhammad Mokaev, but Phumi Nkuta is one to watch. Nkuta, who trains under Ray Longo, is 11-0, a champion of Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat and Warrior Cage Grappling, ranked one of the top regional flyweights in the U.S., let alone the Northeast U.S. Moraes found plenty of success in ONE as their flyweight champion, but he’s lost three of his last four. This is going to be a battle between two grappling-heavy talents, and while Moraes has the experience, don’t be surprised if the younger Nkuta, fired up to make a statement, pulls off the victory. (Prediction: Nkuta)
Jason Jackson vs. Jeff Creighton: After spending the last couple of years with the PFL, following its acquisition of Bellator, Jason Jackson gets the chance to show why he’s been a solid talent outside of the UFC. The former Bellator champ takes on Jeff Creighton, replacing Lorenz Larkin, who came onto the MMA scene after his time with The Ultimate Fighter last year. When you take into account the experience and championship factors of Jackson, combined with opponent history, it’s a solid chance for Creighton to impress, but it’s going to be hard for him to win against Jackson. (Prediction: Jackson)
David Mgoyan vs. Albert Morales: Spotlight opportunity time for David Mgoyan. At just 21, Mgoyan is already 8-1, looking to continue to build himself following his loss to Tommy McMillen on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. Albert Morales has experience in the UFC and Bellator, but he’s fought a lot more on the regional circuit. And while he’s clearly the more experienced fighter, Mgoyan’s wrestling (benefited by being the training partner of Arman Tsarukyan) will elevate the young man to a win in this one. (Prediction: Mgoyan)
Aline Pereira vs. Jade Masson-Wong: MVP hopes that they have an answer to “Poatan” — his younger sister. Though just 2-2 in professional MMA, Aline Pereira has shown herself to be an excellent striker through her experience in kickboxing and karate. Pereira, in fact, is a Karate Combat champion. Don’t count out Jade Masson-Wong, however, an accomplished striker herself with plenty of experience in BKFC. Let’s hope for a fun war in this one. (Prediction: Pereira)
Chris Avila vs. Brandon Jenkins: Chris Avila has had fights with UFC and Bellator, but he’s more known for his boxing of late, battling the likes of Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, and Jeremy Stephens. Jenkins has also fought for the UFC, as well as the PFL and LFA in the past, with a lot of his recent work coming in karate and bare-knuckle MMA. While Jenkins doesn’t have the recent winning momentum, Avila hasn’t fought in MMA since 2021, and Jenkins has a better record under his belt. (Prediction: Jenkins)