Dana White On MVP-PFL Merger Announcement

UFC president Dana White dismissed the newly announced merger between MVP and PFL, saying the combined organization will still fail to draw fans or sell tickets.

White told The Mac Life he views the deal — brokered by Jake Paul and expected to launch under the MVP banner in early 2027 — as pairing two struggling promotions together. "Let's take two organizations that don't sell tickets and nobody watches and let's merge them together and make a bigger company that won't sell tickets and nobody will watch," he said, per MMA Mania.

White Sees No Real Competition From Combined Promotion

The UFC boss repeated his stance that neither operation poses a threat to his promotion, which recently signed a content deal with Paramount worth more than $7 billion. White said he competes with major sports properties now and doesn't consider any MMA rival his equal.

MVP aired a one-off MMA event on Netflix in May that drew strong numbers, while PFL currently airs on ESPN. The merged entity has not yet announced a broadcast partner. White had a nearly identical reaction when PFL acquired Bellator MMA in late 2023, calling that move a sign things weren't working for either side.

The new organization is expected to announce talent signings and a full event schedule before its launch early next year.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Disinterested Dana White reacts to MVP-PFL merger — ‘Won’t sell tickets and nobody will watch’