John Martin has stepped down as CEO of the combined PFL and MVP company, effective immediately. He announced it on his personal Instagram on Tuesday September 22, 7 weeks after the merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions was announced on July 30. Martin named MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian as the natural person to lead what comes next.
Key takeaways
- John Martin left his post as CEO of the combined PFL and MVP company on September 22, effective immediately, with an announcement on his personal Instagram.
- He backed Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP, to lead the company, although no formal board appointment had been announced when he stepped down.
- The PFL is due to operate under the MVP banner from 2027, and its next cards go ahead in Chicago on October 16 and Dubai on November 14.
What John Martin announced
An exit with no notice period
Martin did not go through a press release. He posted on his own Instagram on Tuesday morning that he was leaving the CEO job of the combined company, and that the decision took effect immediately. No reason for the timing was given.
A short run at the top
Martin, a former Turner executive, took over as PFL CEO in July 2025. Just over a year later, he led the league into the merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, announced on July 30, and was due to run the combined company. He lasted 7 weeks in that role.
A CEO who spoke for the league
In that year, Martin was the voice of the PFL on its biggest files. He called the Johnny Eblen and Costello van Steenis rematch the biggest fight in company history, and he held the line publicly on Usman Nurmagomedov’s contract as the UFC showed interest.
Nakisa Bidarian and the MVP era
The name Martin put forward
Martin named Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded MVP with Jake Paul and runs its boxing side, as the person to take over. That is an endorsement, not an appointment: when Martin stepped down, the board had not announced Bidarian as the new CEO.
A rebrand already on the calendar
The merger plan puts the PFL under the MVP banner from 2027. With Martin gone, the public faces of the company are now Bidarian and Jake Paul, both from the MVP side of the deal. The PFL brand that Martin ran is the one due to change name.
Why the timing matters
A merger is usually followed by a period where the executive who negotiated it stays on to make it work. Martin leaving after 7 weeks means that job now falls to the MVP side alone, a few months before the rebrand.
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.
What changes for PFL fighters and fans now
The cards go ahead
Nothing announced on September 22 touches the schedule. PFL Chicago still runs on October 16 at the Wintrust Arena, with the inaugural women’s flyweight title on the line, and PFL Dubai follows on November 14 at the Coca-Cola Arena.
The open files stay open
The questions Martin handled publicly, from contract disputes to the rematches he promoted, now belong to a leadership that has not yet been formally named. Fighters under contract deal with the same company, but not with the same person at the top.
Follow the PFL through the change
Records, finish rates and our weekly ratings for every PFL fighter stay up to date whatever the league is called, in the FightHub app. Download it to follow the roster through the move to the MVP banner.
- UFC returns to Doha on November 21, a year after selling out its Qatar debut
- Usman Nurmagomedov turned down $2 million from the PFL, and the UFC has to wait
- PFL Dubai puts a 9-0 Belgian against a sixteen-fight Egyptian, on the same night as Madison Square Garden
- Pico vs Keita is official at UFC 333: Arnold Allen withdraws, and the fight Keita announced himself now has a name
