Rousey vs. Carano roundtable: Will MVP MMA be a smash hit or a disaster?

While this is not going to be a “how-to” in MMA fighting, more than likely, who cares? We, as a collective fan base, should hope this event is not only good, but that it’s freaking great. That would be a boost for the sport, good for the fighters, and, perhaps, most importantly, it may just force the UFC—even just a little, although I’m not holding my breath—to try a little bit harder.

Ronda Rousey

Lee: As someone who has been an advocate for this wacky, out-of-nowhere card since Day 1, I admit my excitement has gradually dimmed as we approach game day.

Perhaps it’s a bit of overexposure, as MVP MMA and the fighters involved (even Nate Diaz!) have done the proper amount of media rounds, which is never a bad thing, but at the same time, it’s made the occasion lose some of its shine, and it doesn’t help that everyone, especially Rousey and Carano, is being all buddy-buddy. Not to get all UFC 328-y, but where’s the heat?

It all feels so normal now, so mundane, and that’s not good for a show that projects to be more style than substance. Obviously, not every viewer is expected to tune in from the very first fight of the night, but if they do, they’ll have to slog through a few lower-level fights before being treated to legitimate elite MMA with the likes of Adriano Moraes and Jason Jackson in action, and then buckle up for a main card that could be all over the place in terms of quality. I’m just worried that by the time the final bell rings, we’ll all just be feeling exhausted.

I really hope I’m wrong about all this.

Meshew: I suppose I’ll be the optimist of the group and say, yes, MVP MMA 1 is going to be a good time.

As Mike noted, this card is certainly not filled tip to tail with the greatest fighters on Earth, but it’s also not pretending that it is. This is a card for the broadest possible base of casual MMA fans: recognizable with a baseline level of quality and widely available. It’s basically the McDonald’s of MMA shows. And while the UFC is dead set on sucking out as much value as possible from their product to the point it’s becoming an empty shell of itself, this Rousey-Carano card is much more about having a good time.

And I think that’s what you’ll get if you tune in on Saturday. For all their foibles as people and fighters, Rousey and Carano were always fun fighters, and given their long layoffs, that fight probably ends up a fun, sloppy mess. Meanwhile, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are allergic to boring fights, and Ngannou likely ends Lins in spectacular fashion. Is that high art? No, but we’re all going to enjoy watching it.

Plus, this is not MVP’s first promotion. Jake Paul’s team is well-practiced at this by now, and while I don’t always love the MVP promotional touches, they are willing to try new things, and at the very least, it will be a change of pace from the UFC sameness that dominates our weekends.

This is going to be the biggest MMA event of all time, and while it won’t live up to that standard from a quality standpoint, I’m cautiously optimistic it will deliver well enough.

2. Is this the last fight for Rousey and/or Carano?

Meshew: Smart money says yes for both, but I’m saying no, at least for Rousey.

Regardless of what they say publicly, I’ve always felt that the reason this fight was taking place was simple: Rousey wanted a do-over on her catastrophic career end, and Carano simply wanted to be famous again. And while I still believe that’s true, it’s also become clear that in wanting to return, Rousey legitimately sparked something in herself — or, more accurately, Hunter Campbell did.

Now, it seems like Rousey’s sole focus in life is to create some chaos in the MMA space, and while she actually will be a good figurehead for MVP MMA, the best work she can do for the promotion at this time is to keep fighting. If Rousey and Paul really want to exist in the MMA space, they need stars, and there are so few out there that I think she gets roped into at least one more fight as they try to build a real promotion.

As for Carano, I’m less certain. This feels like career rehabilitation for her, and I’m not sure future fights would help in that venture. Perhaps if she performs above expectations against Rousey, or Hollywood still doesn’t come calling afterward, maybe she’d do another one, but probably not.

Heck: Carano, absolutely. Rousey? Not quite sure.

It’s a bailout answer, but we’ll have to wait and see how it all goes for Rousey on Saturday. If she does what I believe she’ll do, then it would be a great way to go out, right? But Rousey is a competitor at heart, and she’s also somebody who wants to grow the sport of MMA and provide options in the space. And quite frankly, maybe the biggest fight, realistically, that MVP could make is a rematch between Rousey and Holly Holm. As a fighter, I can certainly understand why she would want that one back.

As a businesswoman and the “Dana White” of MVP MMA, it’s a no-brainer if she takes care of business this weekend.

Lee: They’re done done.

Look, I never gave up on Rousey competing in MMA one more time, and even though that somehow turned out to be right, I know when to collect my chips and step away from the table. Rousey wins, gets to go out on her own terms, and shows just enough to leave us wanting more. That’s how it should be for every fighter, so kudos to her that she gets the chance to do this after taking a near 10-year break.

As for Carano, it’s no secret she’s doing this for the payday and, more importantly, to launder her reputation after her ugly departure from Disney’s Star Wars franchises and subsequent Hollywood blackballing. Based on a lot of the positive feedback she’s received during the MVP MMA build, she’s already won. She’s not fighting again.

3. Can Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, or Francis Ngannou steal the show?

Lee: The Diaz Army rides again.

It’s cliché at this point, but Diaz is truly a one-of-a-kind figure in the combat sports space, continually growing his fanbase somehow despite mixed results and not having been in a truly great fight in years. Those are just the facts, people. But in Perry, Diaz has a kindred spirit, a classic devil-may-care tough guy who isn’t afraid to work outside of the safety of the system. Dare I say, Diaz… respects Perry?

I fully expect Diaz to win and throw up the double birds live on Netflix, to the delight of casual and hardcore fans alike. And heaven help us if he gets any substantial post-fight mic time.

No matter what happens in the main event, I get the feeling Diaz’s antics will be our enduring memory from this show.

Meshew: Hi, are you new here? Nate Diaz always steals the show. It’s sort of what he does.

At no point in his long career has Nate Diaz ever been one of the 10 best fighters in the world, and yet, the power of his personality has ensured that Diaz is always one of the most-talked about. And while Rousey and Carano will likely end up as a massacre, Diaz and Perry are almost certainly going to tear strips out of each other.

Francis might grab a highlight for delivering a Mortal Kombat-style knockout, but Diaz-Perry is going to be what everyone is talking about on Monday morning.

Heck: Unfortunately for Ngannou, his opponent has a better chance of stealing the show than he does, because most people believe Ngannou is going to run over Lins with relative ease.

As for Diaz and Perry, they have a chance if they beat the soul out of each other in a fun fight. Plus, Diaz always finds a way to do it, whether he wins or loses. Whether it does accomplish the show-stealing feat or not, I think this is the most important fight on the card in terms of how people will view it. If it ends up being an all-out war, the overall perception of the event rises. If it’s a bad fight, then the critics can say, “See, I told you.”

This fight has to deliver in some way, and while it won’t be Ilia Topuria vs. Arman Tsarukyan, I think if we put our expectations in the right place, it will.

Nate Diaz