Tag: netflix mma

Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano was ‘most watched MMA event ever in the U.S.’

Posted on by Josh Nason

This past Saturday’s first-ever MMA event on Netflix featuring the return of Ronda Rousey after nearly a decade drew substantial viewership.

The streaming giant and MVP Promotions issued a dual statement Tuesday, announcing that “over 12.4 million viewers around the world tuned in live on Netflix with viewership peaking at almost 17 million during Rousey vs. Carano, making it one of the most-watched MMA events of all time.”

They also claimed that in the U.S., the main card averaged 9.3 million viewers with a peak of 11.6 million for the main event. That would exceed the UFC on Fox one hour debut show that peaked at 8.8 million with a 5.7 million average for Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos.

The main card saw an average per minute audience of 12.4 million for Live+1 globally, attributed to VideoAmp, G&C and Netflix. The other stats were not directly attributed to the same sources.

MVP also stated their live gate at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles was $2.2 million.

“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,” MVP co-founders Jake Paula and Nakisa Bidarian said in the release.

Rousey defeated Carano in 17 seconds in the main event, headlining a show that also featured former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and fan favorites Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry.

Nate Diaz return added to Netflix’s Rousey vs. Carano card

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former UFC star Nate Diaz is returning on the card for Netflix’s first-ever live MMA special.

It was announced today that Diaz vs. Mike Perry will take place on the undercard of Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on May 16. The show is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and will stream live for Netflix subscribers at no additional cost.

Diaz vs. Perry will be contested at 170 pounds. It’s Diaz’s first MMA fight since 2022 and Perry’s first since 2021. Both are former UFC fighters who have tried their hand at boxing in recent years. Perry has also competed for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Netflix hyped up Diaz as a “combat sports icon” whose rivalry with Conor McGregor was the biggest box-office feud in MMA history.

“The bout adds another explosive matchup to a blockbuster triple-headliner that already includes a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Philippe Lins and a historic women’s main event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano,” the streaming platform wrote in a press release.

MVP Promotions — owned by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian — is the promoter of this event. Diaz and Perry have each worked with Paul before, losing to him in boxing matches.

Bidarian thanked Netflix for believing in MVP’s and said he believes the future of MMA is bright with them working together.

“Nate Diaz is the Real BMF, and Mike Perry is the King of Violence — this will be a war from the first press conference all the way to the end when one of them has their hand raised,” Bidarian said. “It’s an absolutely massive night of fights in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 16th, as we continue building some of the biggest global events in combat sports. Thank you to Netflix for believing in our vision. The future of MMA is bright.”

To help promote the MMA card, Rousey showed up at AEW Revolution on Sunday night after her friend Marina Shafir lost to “Timeless” Toni Storm.