Most Valuable Promotions’ move into MMA has arrived with UFC fighter pay sitting firmly in the background. The Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano card has made that topic unavoidable.
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Since the Netflix event was announced, several fighters involved have assessed what MVP can offer compared to the sport’s established leader. That has kept the pay debate alive.
Despite fading recently, the criticism around UFC fighter pay grew after the promotion signed a billion-dollar Paramount deal in August 2025. And now Jake Paul has dropped another dig tied to that issue.
Jake Paul says Ronda Rousey will earn more in MVP card than Ilia Topuria does in UFC
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLCPaul, MVP’s co-founder, has claimed Rousey will make more for the MMA debut card on Netflix than Ilia Topuria usually earns inside the UFC.
Speaking to Full Send MMA in an interview with Jorge Masvidal, the YouTuber-turned-boxer said: “Here’s what I can say: I know how much Ronda Rousey is making for this event. And it’s a lot more than what Ilia Topuria makes for fighting.”
The figures attached to Rousey and Topuria’s deals remain undisclosed. That means Paul’s claim cannot be verified, even if it is clearly designed to fuel a wider argument.
If true, it would be a shocking comparison. Topuria is one of UFC’s biggest current draws, an unbeaten two-weight champion who has combined star power with elite performances.
On the other hand, Rousey remains one of MMA’s defining figures, but she has been inactive for years.
MVP card could become a major MMA moment
Saturday’s event now feels bigger than one comeback fight. It could show whether MVP has the money, platform and ambition to challenge the UFC’s control of elite MMA.
A strong Netflix debut would give fighters another major stage and strengthen Paul’s fighter-pay argument.
A flat event would do the opposite and could leave TKO Group’s promotion even stronger.
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