Whether you viewed MVP MMA 1 as a success or a failure, there’s no denying that plenty of eyes were on Netflix this past Saturday night. Now, the question becomes: what’s next? With a little creativity and imagination, I put together my fantasy booking for what I think a realistic MVP MMA 2 card could potentially look like. Here are all 10 matchups:
HW (265): Francis Ngannou (19-3-0) vs Robelis Despaigne (6-2-0)
If Most Valuable Promotions is smart, they ride the Ngannou train as long as they can, and with Robelis Despaigne, there’s already a little bit of smoke behind the matchup given his callout. I’m well aware Despaigne may be too green for Ngannou, but he has plenty of power, and there’s really not a ton of guys with a pulse jumping at the opportunity to be slaughtered by Francis.
Despaigne wants this fight, so we’ll give it to him. I also won’t go without saying that of course Jon Jones is the true fantasy matchup, but we would likely end up seeing them more frequently in a courtroom rather than MVP’s hexagon.
WFW (145): Larissa Pacheco (23-5-0) vs Aspen Ladd (12-5-0)
Well, it seems that we won’t be treated to Kayla Harrison vs Larissa Pacheco 3 in the future, as the UFC brass declared they weren’t interested. Kind of a shocking decision given the fact she’s been freed from her contract and is the only woman in the world to have defeated the promotion’s champion. You’d think that would be of intrigue.
Though apparently it’s not, and in that case, she’ll be searching for new opportunities on a big platform. With the UFC and PFL crossed off the list, where else to turn but Most Valuable Promotions?
All I know is we don’t need her at Karate Combat beating up on amateur fighters. That was really tough to watch. It’s time to return to serious competition, so let’s get Aspen Ladd involved. Ladd recently grabbed a round one knockout win at BKFC in November 2025 and has plenty of name value from her UFC stint to make this matchup a solid co-main event draw.
WW (170): Jason Jackson (20-6-0) vs Lorenz Larkin (27-8-0)
I know, another one where I’m not using a ton of imagination, but really this is a super high-level matchup at 170 pounds. Jackson has been UFC-level for a long time and probably would even be ranked within the top 15 if inserted into the division right now. Similar to Francis, Jackson is another excellent mixed martial artist I’d be eager to tie my brand to.
Lorenz Larkin, on the other hand, also brings a level of credibility to MVP that would help give the card a more competitive feel. Larkin brings both UFC experience and finishing capabilities, two things that should be at the top of the list for Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.
Who wouldn’t love this matchup? It was seemingly one of the more hyped-up matchups of the prelims, and I’m sure MMA fans wouldn’t mind seeing Jackson vs Larkin finally come to fruition.
FW (145): Pedro Munhoz (20-10-0) vs John Lineker (37-11-0)
Now it’s time to get a little bit wild here. Munhoz was released in April after 12 years on the UFC roster, dropping his last three appearances to Aiemann Zahabi, Kyler Phillips, and Chito Vera. Quality losses in the grand scheme of things, but after being on the shelf since November of 2024, it was clear there wasn’t much of a future for Munhoz continuing down the bantamweight ranks.
For MVP, Munhoz should be an appealing option. Over a 22-fight career, Munhoz scored seven performance bonuses. For his dance partner, we’re continuing down the path of another ex-UFC fighter in John Lineker.
This one comes with a bit of a concern. Lineker was just popped for PEDs at ONE Championship following his round one loss to Ben Woolliss, but I think MVP would probably look the other way to get another fan favorite on board. Perhaps this is too unrealistic, but I think either fighter could be in the realm of possibilities in the future. Regardless, super fun fight.
LHW (205): Omari Akhmedov (26-8-1) vs Uriah Hall (17-11-0)
Uriah Hall has already fought under MVP boxing, so there should be some ease behind the scenes creating this fight. He’s stayed somewhat active as of recent under the Karate Combat banner, even pulling off a pretty flashy spinning body kick to finish his latest opponent in the first round.
Omari Akhmedov would be a more than capable dance partner for Hall. He made a surprising one-month comeback in October 2025, fighting between two separate promotions within two weeks. It’s clear both men still have the itch and possess some high-level tools in their repertoire. Two former UFC talents going at it under Most Valuable Promotions.
FW (145): Diego Brandão (32-22-0) vs David Mgoyan (9-1-0)
Mgoyan handled his business pretty easily, and while I just recently found out Diego Brandão is booked for a fight, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to propose the ex-UFC featherweight for a future MVP card.
It’s clear that Dana White and the brass aren’t interested in bringing Brandão back. This year, they signed Jamie Siraj as well as re-signed Kai Kamaka III at featherweight, and both fell to Brandão in 2025. So why wouldn’t Most Valuable Promotions be all over Brandão?
He’s still finishing fights, he’s on a three-fight winning streak, and he doesn’t seem to have many contract obligations at the moment. This one feels like a no-brainer to me.
Mgoyan also deserves the opportunity. He was screwed on Contender Series, and there’s not many places the 21-year-old can go after dominating Albert Morales. A win over Brandão would do wonders for David Mgoyan’s career, though it won’t be a walk in the park by any means.
WW (170): Phil Rowe (11-7-0) vs Matheus Lima (8-1-0)
Rowe is looking for new opportunities and is currently booked at Island Fights. He recently called for Namo Fazil via Instagram, but given the recent news of the Kurdish fighter’s DWCS bout, Rowe will have to settle for another emerging prospect.
Enter Matheus Lima. He’s on a three-fight finish streak, facing opponents with a combined record of 21-6. He’s bounced around a couple of different promotions, but that should allow for more flexibility to get Lima on the roster.
This should be a nice opportunity for both men, with Phil Rowe trying to prove himself after being released while Matheus Lima introduces himself to an American crowd.
BW (135): Francis Figueiredo (13-6-1) vs Damien Anderson (5-0-0)
Not only is Damien Anderson the perfect prospect to showcase on MVP, he’s also someone who I think could do really well with the microphone in his hand. He shouldn’t be too tricky to free from the clutches of CFFC, and perhaps opening a pipeline between the two would be wise for the depth of the MVP roster.
Francis Figueiredo has some name value as his opponent. He’s the brother of former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo while also spending some time in the UFC himself. Back in December, the Brazilian bantamweight made a return to fight Dzhamaludin Aliev in Core FC after a three year layoff.
Maybe Figueiredo will be interested in continuing the family legacy into the Most Valuable Promotions legacy with a chance to stop a surging young prospect.
WFLY (125): So Yul Kim (9-1-0) vs Helen Peralta (6-5-0)
Peralta holds a win over Aline Pereira, and I believe they’ll continue to push Pereira as one of their more memorable names. Having Peralta on the roster for a future rematch could end up playing well for MVP.
Though the real attraction in this one is So Yul Kim, a former ONE Championship contender. Kim boasts a three-fight win streak and holds six submission victories on the ground, finishing her last five opponents there. She’d be a reasonable get too. Originally signed with the UFC to fight Eduardo Moura, Kim was freed from her ONE Championship contract in 2023.
After withdrawing from her debut with the big show, Kim stepped away from the cage, taking a two-year layoff before reappearing in March 2025 at Angel’s Fighting Championship in Vietnam. As of right now, So Yul Kim is booked to take a fight at DEEP Jewels on May 24. Regardless of win or loss, MVP should definitely be intrigued by the South Korean finisher, as well as continuing down the Aline Pereira storyline.
WW (170): Blood Diamond (5-5-0) vs Miguel Suazo (3-0-0)
Hear me out, this is quite literally right up MVP’s alley: ex-UFC, two-fight win streak, back-to-back first-round finishes. I kid you not, if you haven’t seen Blood Diamond’s last knockout, please go watch it.
At the same time, if Blood Diamond wants to get things truly rolling in his direction, he’s going to have to knock off a top prospect. I’m going back to Tuff-N-Uff, following the David Mgoyan and Diego Brandão route, with Miguel “Suavecito” Suazo.
He’s a little bit under the radar right now, but Suazo has collected three straight round one knockouts in all three of his professional appearances. Guaranteed striker’s delight in this one, with some fun in the reemergence of fan favorite Blood Diamond.
