PFL-MVP is under new management.
CEO John Martin announced Tuesday he is stepping down from the executive role he has served in since July 2025. He released the news via a statement his personal instagram, while endorsing Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian to be his replacement.
See the full statement below (h/t Ariel Helwani).
After an incredible year and the successful combination of PFL and MVP, I’ve made the decision to step down as CEO of the combined company.
I’m enormously proud of what this team has accomplished and couldn’t have more confidence in what comes next. Nakisa and I worked closely together to bring these companies together, and I believe he is the natural person to lead this next chapter.
I’m grateful to the entire team and Board for their partnership, and I’ll be cheering for MVP as both a former executive and a fan.
Martin took the PFL reins following the departure of previous CEO Peter Murray, who exited the organization alongside chairman Donn Davis. Prior to joining PFL, Martin was CEO of Turner Entertainment and also previously served as the chief financial and administrative officer for Time Warner.
This move is the latest shakeup for PFL, which announced a merger with Bidarian and Jake Paul’s MVP brand this past August. An officially rebranding of events is expected to take place in 2027.
When the merger was first announced, Martin expressed optimism at what the move could mean for both promotions.
“No apprehension,” Martin said. “For me, it was 100 percent, let’s do this. I will tell you, Nakisa reached out to me first, but I was already planning on reaching out to him after their May 16 event. Because as a business person, I’m interested in growing and accelerating the growth of what has been PFL. And in order to do that, we have to lift the brand by getting more attention on our athletes, and we have to fix our U.S. distribution. And I thought if we did those two things, we would be able to really accelerate.
“However, if you look at MVP, what they have and what they’ve been able to do, they grab attention better than we did at the PFL. Jake Paul as an athlete is unique, as a promoter he’s unique, as a content creator he’s unique, and whether you like Jake or you don’t like Jake, you pay attention to Jake. … He is a unicorn. He’s an incredible individual. If somebody said to me five years ago, this young man could disrupt the world of boxing, I would take the other side of that bet all day long. Look at what he’s done.
“And MVP is only five years old. Now you look at MVP together with PFL; we are the only organization, at this point, that will allow athletes—You want to box? Great. You want to fight MMA? You want future crossover type of opportunities? Great. We want to put the best fights and the best events together for the benefit of our fans. And I absolutely am convinced that this merger is going to be a huge accelerant in our ability to do just that.”
