The numbers are in for the MMA debut of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions on Netflix this past Saturday inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Headlined by the double return bout between women’s MMA trailblazers Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, the event is now the most-watched MMA event in U.S. history.
In a Tuesday press release, Netflix and MVP stated that Saturday’s event averaged 12.4 million global viewers and peaked at 17 million. In the U.S. specifically, the card averaged 9.3 million viewers and peaked at 11.6 million, shattering the previous U.S. viewership record for an MMA event held by 8.8 million peak viewers in 2011 for UFC on FOX 1.
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Added Paul and MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian in a statement:
“The event also generated over 410 million impressions across MVP’s owned social channels, a live gate exceeding $2.2 million, and saw terrific commercial premises distribution across bars, restaurants, casinos, and hospitality venues nationwide. 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.
“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.”
In the main event, Rousey scored a vintage 17-second armbar victory to snap her two-fight skid. It was the 39-year-old’s first fight in nine years, while Carano hadn’t competed in 17 years.
The two other marquee bouts saw UFC veterans Mike Perry and Nate Diaz collide at welterweight, and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou return to action with a devastating first-round knockout of Philipe Lins. Perry defeated Diaz via doctor’s stoppage at the end of Round 2, bloodying the fan-favorite with an onslaught of strikes.
