Muhammad Mokaev is one of the many celebrities who will be competing for the MVP of the first MMA card. |Getty/UFC
While some names may be past their prime, the most valuable promotion still puts together one of the most entertaining fight cards of the first half of 2026.
MVP announced its full lineup on Tuesday “Rusi VS Carano” eventwhich will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on May 16 and stream on Netflix. Those scheduled to compete include former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, undefeated former UFC flyweight Mohamed Mokaev, former Bellator MMA welterweight king Jason Jackson, long-time KSW standout Saladin Parnas and former ONE Championship holder Adriano Moraes.
Dos Santos recently revealed that he is in talks with recently released UFC heavyweight Jalton Almeida to feud with Robellis Despaigne. “Cigano” briefly reigned as the UFC Heavyweight Champion from 2011 to 2012 and is currently the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Heavyweight Champion after a second-round knockout of Alan Belcher in March 2024.
Depenne generated some hype as he began his MMA career with five straight first-round finishes, including his UFC debut. After a string of losses, he parted ways with the Las Vegas promotion and has since captured heavyweight gold under the Karate Fighting banner.
Mokaev is the defending Valiant Fighting League champion and remains undefeated in 17 professional fights. He moved into the top 10 after going 7-0 in the UFC, beating the likes of Manel Kapp, Alex Perez and Tim Elliott. He was released by the organization in 2024 and has since gone 3-0 in MMA competition, winning the Brave CF flyweight championship last November.
Mokaev will take on former ONE champion Moraes at 135 pounds. “Black Diamond” rose to fame under the ONE banner, and since 2013, he has achieved a record of 12 wins and 6 losses in his long career. Notably, he defeated Demetrious Johnson via second-round knockout in a 135-pound championship match in April 2021.
Jackson will face UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Lorenz Larkin in a welterweight bout. Jackson is a former Bellator 170-pounder who has defeated the likes of Benson Henderson, Paul Daley, Douglas Lima, Jaroslav Amosov and Ray Cooper III during his career.
Larkin will return to action for the first time since September 2024, when he knocked out Levan Chokheli in the first round at the Bellator Championship Series in San Diego. The 39-year-old known as “Monsoon” has defeated the likes of Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Neil Magny during his career.
Parnas has 22 wins in 24 professional fights and is the reigning KSW lightweight champion. He also won featherweight gold in the Polish promotion but failed to capture the organization’s welterweight crown.
Parnas will take on former Dana White Contender Series player Kenneth Cross, who has won 11 of his last 12 regional tournament starts.
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MVP “Rossi vs. Carano” Card
Ronda Rousey VS Gina Carano
Francis Ngannou vs Philip Lins
Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry
Saladin Parnas vs. Kenneth Cross
Junior Dos Santos VS Robellis Despaigne
Mohammad Mokaev vs Adriano Moraes
Lorenz Larkin VS Jason Jackson
Namor Fazil VS Jack Babian
David Mgoyan vs Albert Morales
Erin Pereira VS Jed Mason-Huang
Chris Avila vs. TBD
