Nakisa Bidarian

Nakisa Bidarian is a Canadian sports promoter, businessman, and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the boxing promotion that has reshaped the sport's modern landscape. As a former UFC chief financial officer who helped orchestrate the organization's $4 billion sale to Endeavor, Bidarian brings a rigorous financial background to the fight business. His partnership with Jake Paul has produced record-breaking events, including the 2024 Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight that drew over 65 million concurrent viewers on Netflix. Bidarian is also co-founder of the sports betting platform Betr and serves as Executive-in-Residence at Dynasty Equity, a sports investment firm. Known for a calm, strategic demeanor, he operates as the business architect behind MVP's fighters-first model, which prioritizes revenue sharing with athletes and champions women's boxing. [edit]

Bidarian was born in Iran and fled the country with his family around age five during the Iran-Iraq War. He remembers wearing motorcycle helmets and hiding in basements as bombs fell. His older brother Barbad faced conscription at twelve, which pushed the family to leave. They moved through the UK, US, and Canada, and his mother, who had grown up wealthy in Iran, became a single parent working at a shoe store and a doughnut shop. Bidarian has described his father as "not a good man" and notes his mother refused financial help from him.

He earned a BA in Financial Economics from the University of Waterloo in 2000, then worked as a financial consultant at Accenture. After stints in investment banking at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, he completed an MBA at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, graduating as a Tuck Scholar. He then joined Mubadala Development Company in Abu Dhabi as Senior Vice President of acquisitions, managing nine-figure investments in real estate and hospitality. [edit]

In 2011, Bidarian joined the UFC as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Ventures, later becoming Chief Strategy Officer and, in January 2016, Chief Financial Officer. He worked on key fighter contracts for Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor and played a vital role in the UFC's 2016 sale to Endeavor for $4 billion. After the sale, he co-founded Fertitta Capital, an investment firm focused on sports and media, where he led investments in Action Network, FloSports, and Moonbug Entertainment.

In 2020, he executive produced Mike Tyson's exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. and brought Jake Paul onto the card as the co-feature, Paul's knockout of Nate Robinson launched his boxing career. In 2021, Bidarian co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, built on a fighters-first revenue model. MVP's first signing was Amanda Serrano, a seven-division champion. The promotion's biggest event came in 2024: Paul vs. Tyson at AT&T Stadium, with 73,200 attendees and 65 million concurrent Netflix viewers. As of 2026, Bidarian continues to expand MVP, including promoting Ronda Rousey's return against Gina Carano in May 2026. [edit]

Bidarian maintains a deliberately low profile, a contrast to his high-profile business partner. Media profiles describe him as "collected" and "professional," with a presence that suggests nothing is accidental. He is portrayed as the strategic, business-minded half of MVP, handling the financial architecture while Paul commands the spotlight. Fans and journalists often position him as the brains behind the operation, though he deflects the label. There is no official fandom name or fan culture tied to him personally. [edit]

Nakisa Bidarian commands a global audience defined by industry influence rather than celebrity adoration, operating at the intersection of high-stakes finance and combat sports. As of August 2026, iFANN has evaluated his profile but he currently holds no placement in the published Global Top 1,000 rankings or any scope-specific list. This absence from the charts reflects his status as a behind-the-scenes architect; while his strategic moves like the 2026 PFL merger dominate headlines, they do not translate into the mass-market metrics required for a ranked position on the fame scale. Consequently, there is no documented fandom name associated with him; his fanbase has no formal name. His supporters are primarily industry observers, bettors, and boxing enthusiasts who follow the business outcomes of Most Valuable Promotions rather than engaging in fan rituals or campaigns specific to Bidarian himself. The public relationship is mediated entirely through the events he produces and the corporate strategies he executes, distinguishing his reach from the viral, personality-driven engagement seen among performers.[edit]

Bidarian insists he is not Jake Paul's manager but his business partner, often describing himself as "just an accountant" next to Paul's flashy persona. He admits to disliking Wall Street culture, stating, "I like money, but I'm not a hustler." His background includes working on both Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor's UFC contracts, and he holds the title of Tuck Scholar from Dartmouth. Family lore remains a key part of his narrative: his mother married at 18, and her grandfather warned her not to return if the marriage failed, a warning she never had to face. A central biographical element frequently cited is his flight from Iran with his family at age five and his subsequent rise from management consulting to becoming a dominant force in combat sports. Industry stories highlight his aggressive expansion of women's boxing under MVP, which elevated the sport to new heights over a five-year period. In August 2026, his role as a key player in the merger of Most Valuable Promotions with the Professional Fighters League became a defining moment, positioning him at the center of a potential monopoly in the sport.[edit]

Bidarian married Vanessa Milde in 2015, and the couple has one child. His mother raised him and his siblings as a single parent after leaving Iran. He has an older brother named Barbad, whose draft risk prompted the family's escape. Bidarian has described his father as absent and unsupportive. [edit]

Bidarian is best known as the business partner of Jake Paul, with whom he co-founded Most Valuable Promotions and Betr. He worked closely with UFC executives Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, and negotiated contracts for Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. His first MVP signing was seven-division champion Amanda Serrano. [edit]

Bidarian married Vanessa Milde in 2015. The couple has one child together. No information about how they met is publicly available. He has no other documented relationships. As of 2026, he remains married to Milde. [edit]

Nakisa Bidarian's net worth remains unlisted in public financial records, a deliberate choice that aligns with his low-profile approach to personal wealth. While celebrity trackers often skip over figures who operate behind the scenes, iFANN's editorial research traces his earnings to a robust portfolio of high-stakes ventures rather than a single salary line. His financial standing is anchored by equity stakes in Most Valuable Promotions and Betr, alongside revenue shares generated from record-breaking events like the 2024 Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight. Prior roles as UFC chief financial officer and work on major contracts for stars like Ronda Rousey further cement a background built on substantial, though privately held, capital accumulation.[edit]