UFC Raids MVP Roster After Netflix Deal

UFC signed Robelis Despaigne and Salahdine Parnasse within weeks of their appearances on Jake Paul's MVP promotion, a deliberate raid analysts believe aims to undercut the rival league's Netflix momentum.

Parnasse had turned down multiple UFC lowball offers before his knockout win over Kenneth Cross at the first MVP event in May. Days later, UFC returned with a significantly better deal that included more money and a main event slot in Paris against a ranked lightweight, per MMA Mania. Despaigne's signing followed a similar pattern after his MVP showcase.

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The signings reflect how competition forces UFC to improve contracts. "For years we've been screaming about the UFC effectively being a monopoly and how that's bad for the fighters and the fans," MMA Mania's Ryan Harkness wrote. "You can see this in how they treated Parnasse before he fought for MVP: they made him the standard lowball offer and told him to go kick rocks when he said no."

PFL lightweight Usman Nurmagomedov headlines his final contracted fight this weekend in New York, making him the next obvious target. His teammates previously said he would need to take a pay cut to join UFC, but Parnasse's improved deal suggests that dynamic may have shifted.

The question now is whether UFC will poach more MVP talent or attempt a bigger move, like signing Ronda Rousey for her own event to pull eyeballs away from Paul's Netflix platform entirely.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Mania Mailbag: Who Will UFC Snag From MVP Next?