UFC Fans React as Jake Paul Puts Together “Better” MMA Card Than Dana White

For over a decade, the fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, two pioneers of women’s MMA, was nothing more than a fantasy. Now, Jake Paul is making it a reality, and it’s just the main event on a card designed to put the UFC to shame. This week, Jake Paul’s promotion, MVP, finally unveiled its highly anticipated MMA Netflix fight card, headlined by Rousey vs. Carano. Fans have discussed this matchup for more than a decade, and even Dana White tried to make it happen in the past.

Now, the fight will take place on May 16 inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Alongside the headliner, the card delivers a stacked lineup of bouts that fans have dreamed about for years, finally bringing them to reality.

“The full card for the Netflix MVP MMA event is looking stacked,” wrote Championship Rounds on X while sharing the card.

The fight card features fan-favorite UFC stars beyond the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano fight at 145 pounds. For instance, Nate Diaz will face ex-UFC fighter Mike Perry in a five-round welterweight bout, and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will take on ex-UFC LHW star Philipe Lins in the co-main event.

Main event: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano (featherweight) Co-main event: Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins (heavyweight) Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry (welterweight, five rounds) Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenny Cross (featherweight) Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne (heavyweight) Muhammad Mokaev vs. Adriano Moraes (flyweight) Prelims include: Aline Pereira vs. Jade Masson-Wong

The prelims also feature eye-catching matchups, including UFC superstar and LHW champ Alex Pereira’s sister, Aline Pereira, who will face Jade Masson‑Wong. Consequently, fans have turned the high-profile card into a major topic on social media, especially in comparison to UFC cards in the recent past.

The full card for the Netflix MVP MMA event is looking STACKED

(via @MostVpromotions) pic.twitter.com/EvM76aYpQt

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 24, 2026

The UFC events of late, including UFC 324, UFC 325, and UFC London, have drawn widespread criticism for uninspired matchmaking. Even UFC welterweight Michael ‘Venom’ Page called the approach “working blind,” a sentiment echoed by commentators including Ariel Helwani and Jon Anik. Against that backdrop, fans have been quick to draw comparisons and blast Dana White at the same time.

Jake Paul emerges as serious competition to Dana White and the UFC

Jake Paul founded MVP in 2021 alongside adviser Nakisa Bidarian. The promotion had focused exclusively on boxing until now, making this their first MMA card. Fans eagerly awaited their first MMA card, and when they finally delivered the card, it generated even more excitement than their initial boxing events. As a result, fans now view Paul as a “serious” competitor to Dana White. “Okay, so Dana White got some serious competition now,” a fan remarked.

Dana White and the YouTuber turned boxer have long considered each other rivals, even before Paul entered the MMA scene. The issue of fighter pay has always sparked contention, as Paul sees the UFC boss as a “capitalist” who does not pay his fighters the way he should.

At the same time, Dana White criticized Jake Paul for not being a real boxer. However, by bringing stars like Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, and Salahdine Parnasse together, Jake Paul is looking to outshine White and the UFC, with fans now calling the MMA event the “Card of the Year.”

Earlier, the UFC reportedly wanted stars like Nate Diaz and Rousey back. Yet, when the promotion shifted to Paramount and abandoned the PPV model, Diaz and Rousey changed their minds. UFC also tried to sign Salahdine Parnasse, but did not match the money he earned with Poland-based KSW. Fans noticed this, with one commenting, “Reminds me of the stacked Bellator cards we used to get every once in a while,” and another adding, “It’s a card that will get people to watch.”

Fans are not wrong. In recent years, Dana White and UFC’s matchmaking and event quality have declined, discouraging fans from spending too much on tickets, as seen at UFC London. UFC also frustrated fans by scheduling Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes 2 at UFC 325, a fight no one wanted, instead of giving Volkanovski a matchup against Movsar Evloev. The promotion ignored fan demands, which led many to assume the old UFC is now effectively dead.

However, after Jake Paul’s promotion released its card, another fan commented, “POV: You told your friends ‘MMA is dead’ then Jake Paul drops this card on Netflix.”

Beyond the veteran stars Rousey and Carano, the card also features Muhammad Mokaev, an undefeated fighter whom Dana White publicly released in 2024. With so many big fights in one night, a fan stated, “Jake Paul putting a better card together than the UFC now,” a sentiment echoed by another fan who said, “Best MMA card (outside of UFC cards) that I have seen for a while.”

Indeed, fans are right: stars like Ronda Rousey, Francis Ngannou, and Nate Diaz bring hype for both casual and hardcore fans, thereby helping ensure the Netflix fight’s success and giving Jake Paul some much-needed credibility.

The post UFC Fans React as Jake Paul Puts Together “Better” MMA Card Than Dana White appeared first on EssentiallySports.