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Tag: MVP MMA 1

  • MVP MMA Salaries: Ronda Rousey Earns $2.2 Million For Submission

    Those joking that Ronda Rousey’s 17-second armbar of Gina Carano in the main event of MVP MMA 1 was her “easiest payday” may not be stretching the truth too much.

    Though it’s more of a rarity these days, the base fighter pay for the MVP MMA card is now known, thanks to the disclosure by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

    Rousey, one of the headliners for the inaugural MVP MMA event, was the biggest earner of the evening, taking home a $2.2 million purse.

    Rousey’s opponent, Carano, was the third-biggest earner, taking home a $1.05 million payday.

    Between the two was Francis Ngannou. The former UFC heavyweight champion took home $1.5 million for his first-round knockout of Phillipe Lins.

    It should be noted that the reported pay by the CSAC does not include any win bonuses, signing bonuses, incentive-based bonuses, or sponsorship revenue.

    The lowest base pay for the MVP card was $40,000. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian previously told Uncrowned that this would be the minimum fighter pay, nearly four times more than the UFC’s lowest show money pay for fighters.

    The full list of MVP MMA fighter disclosed pay by the CSAC can be found below:

    • Ronda Rousey: $2,200,000
    • Gina Carano: $1,050,000
    • Nate Diaz: $500,000
    • Mike Perry: $400,000
    • Francis Ngannou: $1,500,000
    • Philipe Lins: $100,000
    • Salahdine Parnasse: $70,000
    • Kenny Cross: $50,000
    • Junior dos Santos: $80,000
    • Robelis Despaigne: $50,000
    • Namo Fazil: $40,000
    • Jake Babian: $40,000
    • Adriano Moraes: $80,000
    • Phumi Nkuta: $60,000
    • Jason Jackson: $110,000
    • Jeff Creighton: $50,000
    • David Mgoyan: $50,000
    • Albert Morales: $40,000
    • Aline Pereira: $40,000
    • Jade Masson-Wong: $40,000
    • Chris Avila: $50,000
    • Brandon Jenkins: $40,000

  • Ronda Rousey Submits Gina Carano In Seconds With Armbar

    She hasn’t stepped in the cage in over 10 years, but Ronda Rousey looked like her old self, needing mere seconds to put away Gina Carano in the main event of MVP MMA.

    Rousey scored a takedown immediately. After a failed guillotine, Rousey went right into the armbar, scoring the submission in just 17 seconds.

    Ronda Rousey Quickly Submits Gina Carano In 17 Seconds At MVP MMA

    This was Rousey’s first MMA fight since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. The former UFC and Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion has since had a pair of stints with the WWE, where she became a multiple-time women’s world champion.

    This was Carano’s first fight since losing to Cris Cyborg in 2009. Carano has since gone on to a career in film and television media.

  • ‘War’ – Mike Perry Puts Beating On Nate Diaz For Stoppage Win

    In a bloody striking-filled war, Mike Perry scored perhaps the biggest win of his combat career, stopping Nate Diaz in two rounds in the MVP MMA co-main event.

    Perry came out aggressively from the opening seconds, looking to bring forward pressure and aggression with inside strikes, namely elbows. Diaz looked for an early leg lock attempt, but back on the feet, Perry had his way, working Diaz over with body strikes and quickly wearing him down.

    Diaz landed strong shots of his own, working the jab and busting Perry up as well. But Perry’s onslaught on the feet was too much, as he continued to land combinations and make the blood pour from Diaz.

    Perry landed a strong knee before the end of the round. While Diaz survived to the end of round two, the corner ended the fight due to all the blood pouring out of Diaz, giving Perry the victory.

    Mike Perry Bloodies, Finishes Nate Diaz At MVP MMA

    This was Diaz’s first MMA bout since submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Since then, he competed in two boxing bouts, losing to Jake Paul and defeating Jorge Masvidal.

    Perry has built a name for himself in the BKFC, becoming their current King of Violence. This was Perry’s first professional MMA bout since losing to Daniel Rodriguez in April 2021.

  • Jon Jones Says He’s Focused On Trying To Get UFC Release

    Jon Jones Says He’s Focused On Trying To Get UFC Release

    Jon Jones was present for the MVP MMA card and said he’d need to get out of his UFC contract to face Francis Ngannou.

    Jones was a guest at the analysts’ desk, present to react to Ngannou’s performance against Phillips Lins. Ngannou ended up finishing Lins in just under five minutes.

    Following the fight, Ariel Helwani asked Ngannou about potential next fights. Jake Paul was brought up as a possible opponent, as was Jones, but all parties seemed to recognize the difficulty of such a fight happening while Jones is locked under a UFC contract.

    Jon Jones Looking To Get Out Of UFC Contract For Francis Ngannou Matchup

    Jones was then asked to follow up on his thoughts, and he appeared to hint that he might be looking to get out of his contract.

    “I’ve got to try to focus on getting out of my UFC contract,” Jones said. “That’s going to be the difficult part if this fight [with Francis Ngannou] is going to happen. I don’t think [UFC CEO and President] Dana [White] is interested in doing business with Francis, so doing it with MVP would probably be the only way to make it happen, and if we can get out of my contract that would be great.”

    Jones has not fought since defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Jones and Tom Aspinall’s negotiations for a heavyweight title fight ended with Jones’ retirement. That retirement only lasted two weeks, when Jones requested to be put on the UFC White House card.

    When Jones was not placed on the card, he asked for his release.

    Jones and Ngannou have had previous negotiations with the UFC for a fight, but the fight fell through more than once before Ngannou left the UFC in 2023.

    The win over Lins was Ngannou’s first fight since his sole PFL bout — a first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira in October 2024.

  • ‘Still the Scariest’ – Francis Ngannou Puts Out Phillipe Lins

    Francis Ngannou still has the power, delivering a vintage knockout during the MVP MMA card, needing just one round to defeat Phillipe Lins.

    Ngannou stalked Lins right away, countering a Lins takedown attempt with a guillotine choke. Ngannou got Lins to his back, thanks to his power, as Lins tried to limit Ngannou by locking up his guard.

    Ngannou made Lins eat right hands as the fight got back to the feet. Ngannou connected on solid body shots to do more damage.

    Then, Ngannou landed one right hand to put Lins out cold and end things in a flash.

    Francis Ngannou KOs Phillipe Lins At MVP MMA

    This was Ngannou’s first professional MMA fight since defeating Renan Ferreira in October 2024. That was the sole PFL fight for the former UFC heavyweight champion, who parted ways with that promotion in 2023.

    This was Lins’ first fight since defeating Ion Cutelaba at UFC 299. Lins, the former PFL heavyweight champion, was on a four-fight win streak.

  • Salahdine Parnasse Puts On Show In US Debut At MVP MMA

    Competing in the United States for the first time, Salahdine Parnasse made a statement for the argument that he’s one of the best non-UFC names, scoring a first-round finish of Kenneth Cross at MVP MMA.

    Parnasse troubled Cross early by dumping him to the ground and landing ground-and-pound in the first few seconds. The two battled for grappling control, jockeying for position as they battled around the cage.

    But then Parnasse landed a pair of punches that appeared to do damage to Cross. Cross looked to fire back and get back in the fight, but Parnasse brought him to the ground and overwhelmed him with strikes while looking for the choke. Cross survived and got back to the feet, but a body shot folded him to give Parnasse the first-round finish.

    Salahdine Parnasse Puts A Hurting On Kenneth Cross At MVP MMA

    Parnasse, the former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion, came into this bout with a 22-2 record. Parnasse’s most recent fight came in January, finishing Marcin Held.

    Cross sees a four-fight win streak snapped in this fight. He entered this bout off a win over Tsogookhuu Amarsanaa in October.

  • ‘Eviscerated’ – Robelis Despaigne Brutalizes Junior Dos Santos

    ‘Eviscerated’ – Robelis Despaigne Brutalizes Junior Dos Santos

    Robelis Despaigne scored yet another first-round finish, getting perhaps the biggest win of his career with a first-round finish of Junior dos Santos at MVP MMA.

    Despaigne came out aggressive, taking the center and connecting strong and early. Dos Santos, however, got his own shots in, dropping him briefly with a leg kick and trying to pressure Despaigne.

    A three-punch combination landed perfectly, however, and it was enough to bloody and knock out the former UFC heavyweight champion.

    Robelis Despaigne KOs Junior Dos Santos At MVP MMA

    Despaigne now improves to 6-2 in professional MMA, with six finishes. This was Despaigne’s first MMA fight since losing to Austen Lane in 2024. Despaigne knocked out Sam Alvey in December to become Karate Combat heavyweight champion.

    JDS competed in his first MMA fight tonight since his loss to Yorgan De Castro in Eagle FC in 2022. He competed in a pair of bare-knuckle MMA fights since, defeating Fabricio Werdum and Alan Belcher.

  • Namo Fazil Gets Submission Win, Calls Out Arman Tsarukyan

    Namo Fazil Gets Submission Win, Calls Out Arman Tsarukyan

    Namo Fazil won a wild battle in the MVP MMA featured prelim against Jake Babian — then had quite the wild post-fight show.

    Fazil and Babian had a wild opening round filled with striking sequences, both landing big on one another as momentum swung back and forth. Babian found moments of success on the ground, but Fazil answered with heavy combinations and pressure.

    Fazil then put things away in round two by landing powerful punches on Babian against the fence before locking up an anaconda choke.

    Namo Fazil Has Post-Fight Confrontation With Arman Tsarukyan At MVP MMA

    Fazil then had a noteworthy post-fight interview, calling out co-main event competitors Nate Diaz and Mike Perry, as well as Arman Tsarukyan.

    Following the fight, Tsarukyan appeared to try and jump the fence to get after Fazil.

    Fazil continues the win streak he’s been on since 2023.

  • Adriano Moraes Earns Last-Second Submission At MVP MMA

    Adriano Moraes Earns Last-Second Submission At MVP MMA

    Appearing to be just seconds away from losing in upset fashion, Adriano Moraes pulled off a sudden finish, getting to the back of Phumi Nkuta and scoring a legitimate last-second submission victory.

    Nkuta brought it to Moraes early, working over the former ONE flyweight champion with boxing combinations and pressure. Nkuta dropped Moraes late in the first round, nearly scoring a submission. Moraes’ grappling pressure then started to take over, securing strong positioning in the backpack position and on the ground.

    Nkuta continued to get the upper hand in the third round; however, a late knee attempt from Moraes got Nkuta off balance, resulting in Moraes jumping on the back and locking up the choke.

    The time expired; however, Nkuta did not move for several seconds, resulting in a technical submission being called — and upheld by the California State Athletic Commission.

    Adriano Moraes Scores Final-Second Technical Submission Of Phumi Nkuta At MVP MMA

    Multiple MMA media members, however, took issue with the fact that Moraes still held onto the choke when the bell sounded.

    Moraes, the former ONE flyweight champion, entered this fight with three losses in his last four fights. He was finished in the first round by Yuya Wakamatsu in their March 2025 ONE flyweight title fight.

    Nkuta, who took this fight on short notice to fill in for Muhammad Mokaev, entered this fight 11-0.

  • MVP MMA Results: Rousey vs. Carano Live Updates & Highlights

    MVP MMA Results: Rousey vs. Carano Live Updates & Highlights

    MVP MMA results and highlights are updated live as the action unfolds from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The main event will feature a women’s featherweight bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. MMANews has you covered with all the results and highlights!

    Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano – Women’s Featherweight Main Event

    This will be Rousey’s first professional MMA fight since losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. After winning a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Olympics, Rousey elevated herself and women’s MMA with her finishes in the cage, going on to become Strikeforce and (the inaugural) UFC women’s bantamweight champion. This marks Rousey’s first fight at women’s featherweight since the very early portion of her career.

    This marks Carano’s first MMA fight since losing to Cris Cyborg in 2009, the sole loss in Carano’s MMA career. Carano, a women’s MMA pioneer, won seven straight fights before that defeat.

    The co-main event will see Nate Diaz take on Mike Perry. This marks Diaz’s first professional MMA fight since defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Diaz has since fought twice in boxing. Perry, now a standout fighter in BKFC, will be competing in a professional MMA bout for the first time since parting with the UFC in 2021.

    Francis Ngannou also makes his MMA return at this event, taking on Phillipe Lins. Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, fought just one time for the PFL, defeating Renan Ferreira. Lins, who won the 2018 PFL heavyweight title, went 4-2 in the UFC. Lins last fought in professional MMA at UFC 299, defeating Ion Cutelaba.

    If you can’t watch the action, check here for all the latest results and highlights from MVP MMA!

    How to Watch MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano

    • Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
    • Venue: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
    • Streaming: Netflix (Main Card), YouTube (Prelims)
    • Prelims: 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT
    • Main Card: 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT

    MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano Quick Results

    • Main Event: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano — Ronda Rousey def. Gina Carano via submission (armbar) (Rd. 1, 0:17)
    • Co-Main Event: Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry — Mike Perry def. Nate Diaz via TKO (stoppage) (Rd. 2, 5:00)
    • Francis Ngannou vs. Phillipe Lins — Francis Ngannou def. Phillipe Lins via KO (Rd. 1, 4:31)
    • Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross — Salahdine Parnasse def. Kenneth Cross via TKO (Rd. 1, 4:18)
    • Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne — Robelis Despaigne def. Junior dos Santos via KO (Rd. 1, 2:59)

    MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano Results & Highlights

    Preliminary Card (YouTube, 6 PM ET)

    Catchweight (165 lbs): Chris Avila vs. Brandon Jenkins

    Result: Brandon Jenkins def. Chris Avila via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

    Catchweight (130 lbs): Aline Pereira vs. Jade Masson-Wong

    Result: Aline Pereira def. Jade Masson-Wong via split decision (29-28 x2, 27-30)

    Featherweight: David Mgoyan vs. Albert Morales

    Result: David Mgoyan def. Albert Morales via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)

    Welterweight: Jason Jackson vs. Jeff Creighton

    Result: Jason Jackson def. Jeff Creighton via KO (Rd. 1, 0:22)

    Catchweight (130 lbs): Adriano Moraes vs. Phumi Nkuta

    Result: Adriano Moraes def. Phumi Nkuta via technical submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 3, 4:59)

    Welterweight: Namo Fazil vs. Jake Babian

    Result: Namo Fazil def. Jake Babian via submission (anaconda choke) (Rd. 2, 0:58)

    Main Card (Netflix, 9 PM ET)

    Heavyweight: Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne

    Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Junior dos Santos via KO (Rd. 1, 2:59)

    Lightweight: Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross

    Result: Salahdine Parnasse def. Kenneth Cross via TKO (Rd. 1, 4:18)

    Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou vs. Phillipe Lins

    Result: Francis Ngannou def. Phillipe Lins via KO (Rd. 1, 4:31)

    Welterweight: Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry

    Result: Mike Perry def. Nate Diaz via TKO (stoppage) (Rd. 2, 5:00)

    Women’s Featherweight: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano

    Result: Ronda Rousey def. Gina Carano via submission (armbar) (Rd. 1, 0:17)