John Martin steps down as PFL-MVP CEO after less than a year in charge

John Martin has stepped down as CEO of PFL-MVP, the organisation formed from the merger of the Professional Fighters League and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, having held the role since July 2025. Martin announced the decision via a statement on his personal Instagram, endorsing MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian as the natural choice to lead the company forward.

“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,” Martin wrote. “Nakisa and I worked closely together to bring these companies together, and I believe he is the natural person to lead this next chapter.”

Martin took the helm at PFL following the departure of previous CEO Peter Murray and chairman Donn Davis. Before joining PFL, he had served as CEO of Turner Entertainment and as chief financial and administrative officer at Time Warner.

His exit is the latest in a series of leadership changes at the organisation since PFL announced its merger with Bidarian and Paul’s MVP brand in August. An official rebranding of events is expected to take place in 2027.

At the time of the merger announcement, Martin had spoken enthusiastically about the strategic logic of combining the two promotions, pointing to MVP’s ability to generate attention around its athletes — and Paul in particular — as a key driver of growth for PFL.

“Whether you like Jake or you don’t like Jake, you pay attention to Jake,” Martin said then. “He is a unicorn. If somebody said to me five years ago, this young man could disrupt the world of boxing, I would take the other side of that bet all day long.”

With Bidarian now expected to assume the CEO role, PFL-MVP enters its next phase of development under the leadership of one of the architects of the original merger.