Ranking the MVP MMA main card fights 1 to 5 by entertainment potential - ESPN

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will step into a cage Saturday night in a meeting of mixed martial arts legends. What a way to headline the first MMA fight card of Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions live on Netflix.

Having Rousey and Carano at the top of the bill will draw starry attention to an event featuring several big names — although, just like the women in the main event, those are big names of the past, in some cases the deep past.

The main card includes Francis Ngannou, who might still be the best heavyweight in the world, but he's pushing 40 years old and has fought in one MMA bout since leaving the UFC as champion in 2022. That same year saw the most recent MMA fight for Nate Diaz, who is now 41. Onetime UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, 42, last put on MMA gloves in 2022, too.

And yet, there's a must-see curiosity surrounding MVP's debut in the MMA world. Several of the fighters on the main card were don't-miss fireworks shows in their primes, and there's lingering intrigue over what they still can ignite. At least a couple of the matchups offer tantalizing entertainment possibilities.

Here's a look at what's in store this weekend at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, including a ranking of the five-fight main card based on nostalgia-tinged escapism potential and a rundown of the most notable names on the undercard.

This one could go off the rails. Let's be real: There are no rails that can keep the runaway train on the straight and narrow. In other words, this is inspired matchmaking. A Diaz fight is always a mind-bending adventure, from the first news conference to the final second of the match. And Perry is not exactly buttoned down, either. They both have bad-boy personas that feel 100%