MVP MMA Card Draws Massive 27M Viewers Despite Criticism

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Combat Sports Report

High Viewership Yet Surprising Payouts for MVP MMA Card

The recent MVP MMA card featuring Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey garnered significant attention and critique, with many vocal online skeptics. Despite some declaring disinterest, the event surprisingly attracted 27 million viewers, validating predictions of its massive viewership. Previously, events like Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul drew 33 million viewers, setting a high bar that this event neared.

In terms of financials, the payouts for the main fighters, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, revealed by the state of California, were unexpectedly modest. Rousey received approximately $2.2 million and Carano about $1.2 million—totals that stood out given the high viewership numbers. These figures sparked discussions around fighter compensation, especially in comparison to payouts in other high-profile fights, such as Jake Paul's $123 million and Anthony Joshua's $90 million from their bout.

The undercard fighters, however, found a silver lining. Prelim MMA fighters earning a baseline of $40,000 were reportedly more than what a low-tier prelim fighter might make in the UFC, indicating a potentially more lucrative arrangement for those not in the main events.

The MVP MMA event has not only crushed the competing UFC event on Paramount, which recorded its lowest views, but also became the most-watched event on Netflix. With Netflix boasting 350 million subscribers globally, capturing 27 million viewers highlighted its substantial outreach and popularity, challenging traditional broadcast figures for combat sports significantly.

The event, despite criticisms of being a spectacle or perceived as a novelty, had a demonstrably engaged audience both online and in-person, reminiscent of spectacle fights like Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor. Notably, the quick victory by Ronda Rousey over Gina Carano, who had made a significant weight loss transformation, echoed the event's high stakes and swift conclusions familiar to hyped matchups.