Rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier Differs in Assessment of Jake Paul and Ronda Rousey’s Netflix MMA Card

Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have very different assessments of Jake Paul's recent Most Valuable Promotions card headlined by Ronda Rousey.

Rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier Differs in Assessment of Jake Paul and Ronda Rousey’s Netflix MMA Card

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier give their opinions on MVP card [via MMA Mania, MMA Fighting, and Sky Sports]

In Short
  • Jon Jones praised the inaugural MVP MMA card, calling it better than the UFC.
  • Daniel Cormier criticized the card for featuring one-sided fights and lacking competitive matchups.
  • Ronda Rousey aimed to elevate MVP to compete with the UFC, despite Cormier's skepticism about that possibility.

Longtime rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have been at odds with each other over several issues, and the MVP MMA card reaction seems to be the latest. Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions hosted their inaugural MMA fight card on Saturday, headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. While the card itself generated a lot of hype, the reactions to it were quite mixed.

The fights on the main card were lopsided, with one fighter dominating their opponent. This was true for the first-round finishes in the main event and in the fight between Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins. Mike Perry beating Nate Diaz via doctor’s stoppage came due to a one-sided beatdown.

This seems to be Daniel Cormier’s issue with the inaugural MVP MMA card. The former simultaneous UFC double champion told Ben Askren during an episode of Funky and The Champ that he did not appreciate how incredibly one-sided some of the fights on the MVP card were. Askren agreed, saying that fighters like Ngannou faced opponents who were not on their level.

So many of these fighters on that card were already established stars, right? They’re on the back end of their careers. So there is no star-building. So these guys and women, for me, it felt like they should have had the opportunity to fight someone in somewhat of a competitive fight.

Daniel Cormier via his YouTube channel

Some fans agreed with Cormier, especially when it comes to the Francis Ngannou fight. However, Jon Jones, had a more positive take on the first-ever MVP MMA card. The former UFC double champion praised the promotional effort that Ronda Rousey and MVP put into this card.

I thought the MVP promotion was absolutely unbelievable. I think it was absolutely better than the UFC. I’ve never been at such a promotion. They had the fog machines, TVs absolutely everywhere, great fighters.

Jon Jones via MVP’s Instagram page

‘Bones’ also revealed that he had apparently predicted Ronda Rousey’s quick submission win over Gina Carano in the main event. Jones complimented Rousey for her dominant showing, unlike his longtime rival. Jon Jones did not seem to share Daniel Cormier and Ben Askren’s opinion of the level of the competition being subpar.

That said, Daniel Cormier’s opinion on MVP isn’t altogether negative. The UFC commentator actually gave credit to the promotion some time ago for being legitimate competition to the UFC. But he also explained why their cards could not compare to the events put on by the UFC.

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Daniel Cormier reveals his card of the year while praising the inaugural MVP card

Ronda Rousey had once criticized the quality of the UFC White House card while promoting the MVP card that took place last Saturday. After announcing that Francis Nagnnou had joined the card, she took a shot at the UFC White House card. In the following weeks, Rousey went on several tirades about the UFC.

Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier (via MMA Fighting)

The Olympic bronze medalist criticized the company’s fighter pay, matchmaking, and overall direction throughout the promotion for her fight while hyping up MVP. She revealed her plans to grow Most Valuable Promotions to one day take over the UFC. However, on his YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier quickly dismissed these claims while also praising MVP for their current trajectory.

Nothing is ever going to be the UFC. It just won’t happen, but at least there it seems like it’s real. A real event on a real platform that gives these people an ability to not only make a living, but have people tune in…Honestly, competition is a good thing.

Daniel Cormier via his YouTube channel

The former double champion then shut down any comparisons between the first MVP card and the upcoming UFC White House card.

For people comparing it to the White House card, no chance, guys. Come on. The White House card is the best card of the year, for sure. It’s better than that, let’s just be completely honest.

Daniel Cormier via his YouTube channel

It appears that Daniel Cormier remains unconvinced by the MVP card despite having watched it last Saturday. However, some fans also shared Rousey’s view of the card being underwhelming. Ultimately, the viewers will give the final verdict on which card was better when the ratings arrive later in 2026.

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