Ronda Rousey’s prediction has come true: her May 16th bout against Gina Carano has officially become the most-watched mixed martial arts (MMA) fight event in United States history.
The inaugural MMA event by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), broadcast live on Netflix, featured Rousey vs. Carano as its main event. The card also included significant matchups such as Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins.
According to MVP, the event garnered 12.4 million live viewers worldwide, with a peak of 17 million tuning in during the Rousey vs. Carano main event. Within the United States, the event averaged 9.3 million viewers, reaching a peak of 11.6 million during the headline fight. This surpasses the previous US record of 8.8 million viewers, set during the UFC’s debut on FOX in 2011, which featured Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
“We are incredibly proud of what was achieved with our partners at Netflix and are grateful to the athletes who contributed to the success of MVP MMA’s debut,” stated Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “We have seen an overwhelming response from investors, strategic partners, and fighters interested in collaborating with MVP and the future of MVP MMA. We are currently exploring all strategic avenues to make a significant impact in the MMA landscape moving forward, with a distribution partner like Netflix that shares our vision for lasting influence.”
The event also achieved a live gate of $2.2 million and generated one billion impressions across Netflix’s global social media platforms.
Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano: A Historic Night for MMA Viewership
Ronda Rousey’s vision has been validated. Her highly anticipated fight against Gina Carano on May 16th has been officially recognized as the most-watched MMA event in U.S. history.
The first MMA event organized by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) was streamed live on Netflix. The card was headlined by the Rousey vs. Carano showdown and also featured two other main card bouts: Nate Diaz against Mike Perry, and Francis Ngannou facing Philipe Lins.
MVP reported that the event attracted 12.4 million live viewers globally, with the audience peaking at 17 million during the main event featuring Rousey and Carano. In the United States, the event averaged 9.3 million viewers, with a peak of 11.6 million during the main event. This achievement establishes a new U.S. record for the most-viewed MMA event, surpassing the previous record of 8.8 million viewers from the UFC’s 2011 debut on FOX, which showcased the fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
Nakisa Bidarian, MVP co-founder, expressed their pride in a press release: “We are incredibly proud of what was accomplished alongside our partners at Netflix and grateful to the athletes who helped make MVP MMA’s debut such a success. We’ve received an overwhelming amount of interest from investors, strategic partners, and fighters who want to be involved with MVP and the future of MVP MMA. We are currently reviewing all strategic options to do something very meaningful within MMA on a go-forward basis with a distribution partner like Netflix that shares our vision to create lasting impact.”
Beyond viewership, the event generated a live gate of $2.2 million and achieved one billion impressions across Netflix’s international social media channels.
