Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, Professional Fighters League Announce Merger

Jake Paul continues to carve his own path in combat sports, as his latest venture could change the game in MMA.

On Thursday, Paul's Most Valuable Promotions announced a merger with the Professional Fighters League:

According to a release, "The transaction accelerates MVP's expansion into mixed martial arts following the record-setting success of MVP MMA 1 and creates a global sports and entertainment company that brings together boxing, MMA, media, blockbuster live events, athlete development, and worldwide content distribution. MVP will continue operating with a fighter-first philosophy focused on equitable compensation, maximum visibility, and opportunities for athletes to build their brands both inside and outside of competition."

MVP MMA 1 was the first MMA event ever to be streamed live on Netflix, and it was headlined by a blockbuster main event featuring legends Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. MVP announced that the event drew an average of 12.4 million viewers on Netflix and peaked at 17 million.

Merging with PFL breathes new life into a fledgling promotion that struggled to gain traction even after an ESPN broadcast deal. PFL had previously absorbed Bellator MMA, but that also wasn't enough to compete with the sport's giant, the UFC.

The release stated that MVP and PFL "will maintain relationships with many of the world's leading media and distribution partners," including Netflix and ESPN.

Paul, who has long billed himself as a disruptor, backed up his talk by putting himself in direct competition with UFC president Dana White.

"We started MVP to disrupt a broken model. We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modernized stage to become global superstars. Joining forces with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade," Paul said in a statement. "We now have a scaled platform to give today's fans what they want: elite talent mixed with culture, lifestyle, and massive social velocity. MVP was always bigger than me and bigger than any one fighter. MVP is an inevitable movement that needs to happen for the athletes, and now we have all the resources we need to build something that changes this sport forever."