Those who work in business together aim for success across all fronts. That’s the goal of Jake Paul and business partner Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions.
The duo started MVP in 2021 and turned it into a powerhouse in boxing. MVP creates opportunities for young fighters via Most Valuable Prospects, promotes massive events, and features the largest stable of female boxers in the world.
With the guidance of influencer-turned-boxer Paul and the business mind of Bidarian, Most Valuable Promotions has succeeded in taking over the sport of boxing.
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“It was really based on three things,” Bidarian told CNN regarding the creation of MVP. “One, the mindset of fighters first, really making fighters feel like they’re the focus, and they get the lion’s share of the revenue.
“Two was wanting to double down on women. I had the experience in MMA when Ronda Rousey rose to success and really trailblazed the sport. I believe the same thing can happen within boxing, and Amanda was that vehicle, perfect athlete, perfect superstar in the making. Third was giving young boxers a platform.”
A vocal figure, Bidarian is shown ringside at fights and is right there when fighters face off. Who exactly is the man working with Paul?
Who is Nakisa Bidarian?
Bidarian has lived all over, working in management consulting before heading to Wall Street. He later worked at Morgan Stanley and Mubadala, which led him to being introduced to Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.
The then-owners of the UFC brought him aboard, first as the Chief Strategy Officer and later as the Chief Financial Officer. He played a massive role in the UFC’s sale to Endeavor in 2016. It was the biggest deal in combat sports at the time.
Following that deal, Bidarian met Paul through a mutual friend in 2019. That’s when the seeds for a career in boxing were planted when he helped Paul book a fight against AnEsonGib.
“I knew what a YouTuber was, but I didn’t know who Jake was,” Bidarian told The Independent. “That day, he told me: ‘I wanna act, invest, rap, box.’ That wasn’t attractive to me. I told my guy, ‘I know nothing about boxing.’
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“It was clear Jake was different.”
They later crossed paths when Bidarian was the Executive Producer of Triller’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. Fight. He was key in getting Paul to face former NBA star Nate Robinson, the latter getting knocked out early.
“I went to Jake, offered him $500,000. He’s like, ‘What?’. I said, ‘Take this, be the star of the night, and I promise you I’ll deliver you eight figures for your next fight’. He was the star of the night; he knocked out an NBAer (Nate Robinson). People laugh at it now, but at the time Jake was the underdog," Bidarian told The Athletic.
Following that fight, Paul earned a bigger payday against Ben Askren. The two then joined forces after multiple booked bouts with the help of Bidarian. Paul now takes home millions of dollars each fight he competes in.
Years later, Paul is facing the likes of Mike Perry, Mike Tyson (watched by over 60 million people), and Anthony Joshua. Bidarian has seen the growth of Paul and MVP and is ready for both to continue flourishing into true international sensations.