Bidarian Confirms Paul Return After Netflix Rupture Talk

Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian has confirmed that Jake Paul will return to boxing in late 2026 or early 2027, pushing back against reports that the company's relationship with Netflix has collapsed.

Bidarian wrote on X that MVP is negotiating with four potential opponents for Paul's next bout. "Based on the opponent we will determine the location and distribution," he said, per MMA Mania. The statement comes after industry chatter suggested MVP's access to Netflix was in jeopardy following mass layoffs at the streaming giant.

MVP has staged four events with Netflix since November 2024, starting with Paul's bout against Mike Tyson and most recently delivering the Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano MMA spectacle. Netflix reportedly paid massive rights fees for those shows, but a recent executive purge at the company left many of MVP's network contacts on the unemployment line. Quarterly earnings showing slowed subscriber growth triggered the cuts.

Paul recently posted a target list that includes Canelo Alvarez, Francis Ngannou, and Conor McGregor. Only Ngannou has shown interest, though the former UFC heavyweight has struggled to prove his drawing power outside of mixed martial arts. Bidarian, a former UFC executive who brokered the promotion's 2016 sale to Endeavor, has also secured broadcast deals with DAZN, ESPN, and Sky Sports.

New leadership at Netflix has been on the job for less than a week, and the company has indicated it plans to expand sports programming. Whether that includes more MVP shows remains unclear, but Bidarian's statement makes plain that Paul will fight with or without the streaming platform.