Last night (Sat., May 16, 2026), Netflix hosted its first-ever MMA event, the MVP MMA 1 card from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It was great to have another player in the MMA scene! MVP MMA’s inaugural event brought an exciting mix of legendary names from years past as well as some truly excellent up-and-coming talent, which ensured there was a little something for everybody. Ronda Rousey and Nate Diaz may be the stars of yesteryear, but that’s exactly what brings in a major audience to see
a top prospect like Salahdine Parnasse.
Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
Netflix History In 17 Seconds
Well … that happened?
In the blink of an eye, Ronda Rousey bowled over Gina Carano with a double leg counter to an inside low kick, Carano’s first and only strike of the fight. From mount, a couple quick punches set up the effortless armbar win for Rousey. Dunk on Carano for her quick defeat if you’d like, but it should be pointed out that Rousey routinely won UFC title fights in similarly quick fashion.
An instant submission was always a likely outcome here. It’s a classic part of the “Rowdy” experience, and why wouldn’t Carano be susceptible after 17 years away from the cage?
Perry Dominates Diaz
For about five minutes, Mike Perry vs. Nate Diaz was both fun and competitive.
Perry is an insane person, of course, which can be a real asset in cage fighting. I don’t think his guard ever made it up to his nipples, let alone his chin. Walking down Diaz, Perry actually did show some improvements from his UFC performances a few years ago, which feels improbable given he’s spent so long in the bare knuckle arena.
I don’t believe Perry ever hit anyone in the body as a UFC fighter, at least not in a significant way. Against Diaz, he was digging wide rights to the belly at every possible occasion. Not only did those punches fold over Diaz in obvious displays of agony, but they stole away his usual cardio advantage. Three minutes into the fight, Perry was fatigued by the hectic pace he was pushing, but so was Diaz! Perry’s clinch work has never looked better either, as he thoroughly abused Diaz with elbows and knees.
Diaz was game in defeat despite looking Old with a capital “O.” In the first five, he genuinely threatened Perry a couple times with his bottom game, clinch trickery, and active lead hand. He popped Perry with plenty of jabs and several hard right hooks, but unfortunately, Perry is in fact made of “Platinum” and never responded to Diaz’s punches. Some body work of his own might have been the answer, but there was a moment or two in the first where it felt like Perry might fall victim to the classic Diaz fatigue trap.
Those moments dissipated quickly as the damage on Diaz’s face built up faster than any fatigue on Perry’s side. Actually, Perry did well to take breaks between big swings, which allowed him to keep the pace and continue breaking down Diaz without allowing any upset to brew.
Return Of The Heavyweight King
Francis Ngannou, still the lineal Heavyweight champion, returned to MMA after over a year away from combat sports. His opponent, Philipe Lins, is a former PFL champion who exited the UFC on a win streak, but everybody knew his odds were long here.
Credit to Lins: he tried. The Brazilian did not run away from Ngannou and merely hope to survive. He tried to kick Ngannou’s leg, land takedowns, and threw some absolute fastballs in the hopes of finding the chin. None of it particularly worked, but given the size disadvantage, Lins deserves his props for making this fight and not wasting everybody’s time.
Anyway … Ngannou was firing on all cylinders here. Have his kicks ever looked better? He spun Lins around with the first low kick he threw, punted him in the belly, and nearly landed a high kick too! Ngannou had zero issue in the wrestling exchanges, landed good power punches on his front foot, and then completely slept Lins with a nasty counter hook.
If there’s any chance Ngannou vs. Jon Jones can happen, it’s still a must-watch matchup.
Parnasse Arrives In The USA
Salahdine Parnasse has been a very gifted fighter for a very long time. The KSW double champion picked up his first belt seven years ago at just 21 years of age, and he’s made an incredible career for himself in that promotion, demolishing most of his opposition (with the exception of his failed triple champ attempt). He’s been more than UFC level for many years, but why would the top talent take a pay cut?
A couple years later, MVP was willing to pay up, and Parnasse returned the favor with a volatile US debut. Opposite Kenny Cross — a 17-4 Bellator and Contender Series vet with some quality wins on his record — Parnasse shined despite immediate chaos. Cross tried to make it wild in an attempt to find takedowns, but he only wound up eating punches and getting reversed as a result of his efforts.
Parnasse’s athletic and violent boxing was a lot of fun to watch. Amidst the wildness, he repeatedly snapped Cross’ head back with lovely jabs. He also built combinations, using head movement to feed into his continuous flow of offense. As a result, the damage built up quickly, even if Cross gamely tried to hang on and keep the fighting going. Instead, Parnasse took a few ripping hooks to the midsection, and Cross crumpled in his first-ever knockout loss.
If MVP is serious about building its MMA profile, investing in Parnasse feels primed to pay off in the long run.
Grandpa JDS Goes Down Hard
Robelis Despaigne vs. Junior dos Santos was intriguing for as long as it lasted.
Despaigne is the same as ever: massive, violent, and extremely flawed. Dos Santos, meanwhile, showed up to this fight with abs, but the former UFC champion looked stiff in the cage. He wasn’t moving his head or reacting quickly to punches, which was immediately concerning. There’s no quit in dos Santos, however, who threw just enough bombs back at Despaigne to keep him honest while going to work kicking the calf.
For a brief moment, it looked like a miraculous upset could occur — those calf kicks were doing damage! Then, Despaigne actually bothered to throw in combination rather than one or two punches at a time, and he absolutely smoked the Brazilian legend. Despaigne put four punches right on the chin and outright destroyed “Cigano,” cutting up his face and sending him into a deep sleep.
Despaigne wants Ngannou next and well … I wouldn’t say no!
Additional Thoughts
- Namo Fazil defeats Jake Babian via second-round anaconda choke: This undercard matchup was a lot of fun, as Fazil and Babian both went after each other from the very first bell. The pair of young fighters are known for their finishing abilities, and neither was holding back. There were big exchanges and back takes and wild scrambles in the opening five minutes alone! At the start of the second, Fazil maintained his aggression by backing Babian into the fence and unloading a heavy combination. Babian was hurt and tried to wrestle his way to safety, but Fazil sprawled and attacked the neck right away. After securing the tap, he called out Arman Tsarukyan of all people, prompting a bit of chaos outside the cage.
- Adriano Moraes defeats Phumi Nkuta via third-round rear naked choke (highlights): This was one of the most high-level and modern fights of the evening, as Moraes is a former One champion, whereas Nkuta is widely viewed as one of the best unsigned Flyweight prospects in the country. Despite the jiu-jitsu vs. wrestling dynamic at play, the two fighters spent a lot of time trading on the feet. Moraes tried to use his range advantage, but Nkuta’s speed and combination punching allowed him to get the better of many exchanges. Just as he seemed to be approaching a decision victory, Moraes jumped into a knee that off-balanced Nkuta to the floor. In the final 10 seconds, Moraes jumped his back, locked in a strangle, and left the top prospect asleep on the floor. Did Moraes hold the choke for an extra second as the referee moved in? Absolutely. Based on how long it took Nkuta to wake up, however, I’m not sure that extra second was necessarily the difference-maker, and I wouldn’t count on the CSAC to overturn the decision.
- Jason Jackson defeats Jefferson Creighton via first-round knockout (highlights): Creighton, a short-notice replacement, did his best to take the fight to “The Ass-Kicking Machine.” He went right after the former Bellator kingpin, and given the circumstances, why not? Well, Jackson quickly explained why attacking a fearsome puncher while he’s fresh may not be the best idea. In a wild exchange, Jackson put a left hook directly on the chin to send Creighton to the canvas, out cold
