Fight fans were left scratching their heads this week when it was revealed Francis Ngannou would be fighting Philipe Lins under the Netflix MMA banner.
The lineal UFC champion and PFL Super Fights champion has had a lucrative, yet underwhelming post-UFC career, stepping into the cage once and the boxing ring twice. This time he faces Lins, a 40-year-old career light heavyweight who hasn’t fought since 2024.
It’s easy to say that Ngannou has ‘fumbled the bag,’ as hordes of MMA fans would remark on social media. ‘The Predator,’ once considered the baddest man on the planet, has tapered off since his ugly departure from the UFC in 2023.
But what if we told you that Ngannou vs. Lins, and the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight card is sits on, are very important for the sport of MMA?
Ngannou vs. Lins and Rousey vs. Carano are good for MMA
The term MMA is practically interchangeable with UFC, it’s that easy to forget UFC holds complete market dominance. However, it’s a double-edged blade, since UFC keeps fighter pay low, controls media access, and has drastically kneecapped the growth of MMA — whether it brought it to the limelight or not.
Monopsony is the term — a market with only one buyer. UFC’s dominance is a product of them buying out their competition (PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce), and it allows them to dictate fighter rights, fighter options, and payouts. Don’t believe it? UFC paid out $375m in 2024 to fighters who filed a class-action lawsuit against their monopsony, and it continues to fight other lawsuits in the same regard.
Their market dominance has made fans complacent with having one streamlined product, and MMA promotions that rival UFC are nonexistent. As a result, shareholders and execs are reaping the rewards of promotional growth, while fighters are scuppered by their lack of options and therefore leverage.
Netflix is perfect competition for the UFC — or at least the start of something great for MMA fighters
Netflix reportedly carries over 300 million subscribers worldwide, putting it in a perfect position to go head to head with other industry leaders. Rousey vs. Carano is its first venture into MMA, but it’s already found massive success in boxing with Paul vs. Tyson, which held the attention of over 100 million viewers worldwide.
Rousey is about as big as it gets outside of Conor McGregor or Brock Lesnar in MMA, and while it’s not quite ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, it’s positioning Netflix and MVP to be viable options for fighters who don’t want the standard UFC contract, which then allows them to leverage and negotiate their positions.
So while Ngannou vs. Lins is ridiculously underwhelming, it’s setting a new precedent that fighters do have options outside of the UFC. Fight fans should be excited that a new player has entered the game, offering their favorite athletes stacks of cash and the biggest platform the sport has ever seen.
The bets thing you could do as an MMA fan is to tune in to this fight and give Netflix and MVP reason enough to carry on with their MMA product.
