Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions may have stolen the spotlight this weekend, but that didn’t stop UFC CEO Dana White from doing his best to draw attention away from the debut of MMA on Netflix.
MVP and UFC went head-to-head on Saturday, with the latter hosting UFC Vegas 117 inside the Meta Apex, opposed to the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card in the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. As former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou began his walkout for his fight against Philipe Lins on the Netflix main card, White started an Instagram live stream from the Apex announcing the return of Conor McGregor. The former two-division champion hasn’t fought since July 2021, and will rematch Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas.
Speculation around whether White would make a big announcement to counter MVP built up as the week went on. Speaking at the post-fight press conference in Los Angeles, Paul saw the move as a telling sign from the competition.
“That just shows how pressed they are,” he said. “Little insecure boys trying to piggyback off our event and trying to put some news over top of us. Not gonna work, buddy.”
One of the biggest themes of the promotion of the MVP card was the notion of presenting a legitimate competitor to the UFC. Specifically leading that charge was the event’s headliner, Rousey, who made good on her fight with Carano in vintage fashion, scoring a 17-second armbar win.
Like Paul, Rousey viewed the McGregor fight announcement as more of a compliment than anything else.
“It’s kinda catty. But it also shows that they see MVP MMA as a threat that they would do it in that moment,” Rousey said. “It’s also a compliment because it elevates MVP MMA and makes their [declaration] that they see us as a real rival. That’s such a compelling story, and now they’re helping us tell it.”
What made White’s timing all the more interesting was who it came at the expense of. The rift between Ngannou and White has been well-documented for years, yet despite all the hostility, Ngannou simply wants to keep it all behind him.
In response to the tactic, the former UFC heavyweight champion just shrugged.
“What the f*** do I have to do with that? So I should stop my walkout and look what is going on with [that?]” Ngannou said. “I don’t care, bro. Let’s move on. Life goes on. I’m doing my stuff here. I’m doing good. I have no problem. Everybody can do whatever he wants.”
Ngannou defeated Lins via first-round knockout, extending his MMA win streak to eight. He is unbeaten since 2018 and the sport’s current lineal heavyweight champion.