The first event in MMA for Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions drew 12.4 million viewers on Netflix, according to MVP officials.
Saturday's triple-headliner in Los Angeles, which culminated in Ronda Rousey's 17-second armbar over Gina Carano, peaked at almost 17 million. MVP released the viewership numbers Tuesday. In a statement credited to Paul and MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian, the company reiterated its commitment to promoting more MMA events in the future.
"We're 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," the statement read. "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 distribution partners like Netflix that share our vision to create lasting impact."
Nielsen, the industry standard in reporting TV viewership metrics, does not independently verify this self-reported number by MVP, which reflects "live+1" viewing. In addition to the 12.4 million viewership, MVP released a live gate figure of $2.2 million.
Immediately following Saturday's event, which featured several former UFC stars in Rousey, Nate Diaz and heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, Bidarian told ESPN that MVP hopes to continue its partnership with Netflix beyond this debut, but the CEO also noted options including Amazon, Fox and "many others." The company already has a multiyear deal with ESPN for MVPW, its women's boxing product.
MVP has positioned itself as a potential, fighter-friendly disruptor to the industry-leading UFC. According to figures released by the California State Athletic Commission, base fighter pay started at $40,000, with Rousey receiving $2.2 million. Rousey told ESPN after the event that her compensation was actually much higher based on her promotional efforts ahead of the event.