Bidarian Blasts White's 'Irreverence' Toward Fighters

MVP MMA co-founder Nakisa Bidarian took aim at UFC CEO Dana White over his handling of fighters, calling out what he described as a dismissive attitude toward the athletes who drive the sport.

Speaking to TMZ Sports following last week's announcement that MVP is merging with the PFL under the MVP banner — a deal set to complete in 2027 — Bidarian contrasted his promotion's fighter-first philosophy with the UFC's approach. He cited a recent press conference where White told a reporter asking about his most anticipated fight that it was a "stupid question" and said he was hoping for "a few holy shit moments." Per MMA Fighting, Bidarian called that exchange emblematic of the "irreverence" that has crept into the UFC's treatment of its roster.

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Bidarian's Vision For MVP MMA

Bidarian, who served as the UFC's Chief Strategy Officer and later CFO before leaving after the 2016 sale to Endeavor, acknowledged his former employer remains the best promotional entity in combat sports. But he argued MVP has already proven it can compete at the highest level, pointing to MVP MMA 1 earlier this year — headlined by Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano — which broke U.S. viewership records for an MMA event. "We've put on bigger events than they have," he told TMZ. "The biggest event in the history of modern combat sports was put on by MVP."

The new combined company plans to pay fighters "the vast majority" of event revenue, a sharp contrast to the UFC's historically opaque compensation structure. Bidarian framed the competition in terms of legacy duopolies. "There's Nike and Adidas," he said, as MMA Fighting reported. "There's Coke and Pepsi. We want it to be UFC and MVP."

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He also accused the UFC of working behind the scenes to undermine MVP's marketing efforts, a claim his business partner Jake Paul has made publicly in recent months. Paul built MVP's profile through influencer boxing before expanding into MMA, often using fighter pay and medical care as wedge issues against White. UFC 331 is scheduled for September 19, with Joshua Van facing Alexandre Pantoja in a flyweight rematch and Arman Tsarukyan meeting Mauricio Ruffy in a lightweight clash.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Morning Report | Nakida Bidarian takes shots at Dana White’s ‘irreverence’ towards fighters, lays out his vision for MVP MMA