MVP MMA Case Study: Strategic Communications Plan.
Deliverable 4 of 5. Independent portfolio case study built only from public information; not affiliated with or endorsed by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) or the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Bracketed IDs refer to MVP MMA Case Study: Source Log. Company-reported figures are labeled. Targets, timing, and roles are the assessment of Town Squared Strategies, not company decisions. Source cutoff: September 25, 2026.
Bottom line
This plan carries PFL's roster and fans into MVP MMA in four phases: stabilize leadership, prove the fighter promise, cross over on January 1, 2027, and bridge to the first MVP MMA event [P4, P3]. It follows the approved executive briefing and integration timeline. Every phase starts with owned channels, then earned media, then paid. The company answers the questions audiences already ask before anyone else answers them [D1].
Objectives
| # | Objective | Target | Measured by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leadership is clear | Chief executive named by October 16; current leadership page ranks on page one for "PFL CEO" and "MVP MMA CEO" by November 13 | Search capture [D1 method] |
| 2 | "Fighter-first" has proof | Pay commitments announced by December 12; company owns at least one page-one result for "PFL fighter pay" by January 31 | Search capture; content audit |
| 3 | Fans know what happens on January 1 | Owned where-to-watch and crossover pages rank in the top three for "how to watch PFL 2027" by December 31 | Search capture |
| 4 | MVP does not define itself against the UFC | Zero company-originated rivalry claims; holding statement issued within two hours of the next UFC signing | Content audit; alert log |
Audiences
| Audience | What they need | Primary channel | Messenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFL fighters and managers (more than 300 fighters, company-reported [P5]) | How contracts transfer, what they will be paid, who to call | Direct note and calls, then a fighter hub page | Fighter-relations lead; chief executive for terms |
| Core MMA fans (search and Reddit [D1, D2]) | Who runs the company, where to watch in 2027, what happens to titles | Crossover FAQ, social, MMA press | Chief executive; PFL champions |
| Broad and Paul-driven fans (12.4 million MVP MMA 1 viewers, company-reported [P7]) | Events, stars, reasons to tune in | Social and creator channels | Jake Paul; headline fighters |
| MMA and sports business press | Leadership, strategy, distribution | On-record interviews, briefings | Chief executive |
| U.S. and international media partners (34 international partners, company-reported [P5]) | Stability, brand continuity, calendar | Private briefings | Chief executive |
| Investors (885 Capital, Knighthead [P5]) and sponsors | Leadership continuity and plan | Private updates | Chief executive; board |
The UFC is not a target audience. It is monitored (W5, W6).
Channel strategy
The plan follows the same order in every phase: owned, then earned, then paid. This keeps the company's own answer first in search and on the record before others respond.
| Channel | Role | Key assets | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned | Publish the answer first | Leadership page; ownership explainer; crossover FAQ (what happens to PFL, titles, where to watch); fighter hub; newsroom releases; "MVP MMA" paired with "Most Valuable Promotions" in all copy | Hour zero of each announcement |
| Earned | Put leaders on the record | One on-record chief executive interview within 48 hours of naming; business and trade press; MMA press and leading MMA podcasts | Within 48 hours, then ongoing |
| Shared | Let fighters and fans carry proof | Champions and fighters on the new pay practices; Paul for reach and recruiting; fighter-led Q&A after commitments are announced | After each owned release |
| Paid | Clear stale results | Search ads on CEO, where-to-watch, and fighter-pay queries once owned pages are indexed. No paid rivalry messaging. | One to four weeks after each owned release |
Spokesperson roles
| Voice | Owns | Avoids |
|---|---|---|
| Chief executive (Bidarian or named successor) | Leadership, partners, investors, sponsors, fighter terms | Feud with the UFC |
| Jake Paul | Fan reach, launch energy, recruiting | Contract terms, financial claims, leadership questions |
| Fighter-relations lead (to be named) | Transition questions from PFL athletes and managers | Public competitive claims |
| PFL champions | Third-party proof of the fighter promise | Speaking for the company |
Media training for all four voices is completed by November 6.
Phased plan
The integration timeline explainer shows these dates in a chart.
| Phase | Dates | Actions | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stabilize | Sep 28 to Oct 16 | Company statement on leadership; board names the chief executive; announcement sequence (owned, earned within 48 hours, paid after indexing); ownership explainer and crossover FAQ published by October 23; positioning line and UFC holding statement approved; U.S. partner holding lines approved | CEO named before PFL Chicago [P12]; owned pages live |
| 2. Prove | Oct 12 to Dec 12 | Extend the $40,000 minimum [P10] and fighter sponsor policy [P9] to the full roster; fighter transition explainer and contract questions; name the fighter-relations lead; media training; "fighter-first" stays paused until commitments are public | Commitments announced by Dec 12; partner decision gate held Dec 1 |
| 3. Cross over | Nov 16 to Jan 31 | Title-lineage messaging, first tested at PFL Chicago's new women's flyweight title [P12, P3, P4]; fan crossover campaign; brand change on January 1 [P4] | Owned pages rank for crossover queries; no confusion spike in monitoring |
| 4. Bridge to launch | Jan 1 to first MVP MMA event | Bridge content until the first event; fighter validator program; U.S. partner announcement if signed [P3] | First MVP MMA event announced with a U.S. home, or the no-partner line in use |
Contingencies
| Trigger | First two hours | First 24 hours | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| No CEO named by Oct 16 (W1) | Hold the leadership line: board process under way, operations unchanged | Name an interim structure; push spokesperson training back | Board; chief executive's office |
| No U.S. partner by Dec 1 (W2) | Switch to the no-partner holding line from the briefing | Lead the crossover with international partners (company-reported) [P5], fighter commitments, and event dates | Chief executive |
| UFC signs an MVP or PFL fighter (W5) | Issue the holding statement; wish the fighter well; no rivalry claim | Point to the roster and fighter offer | Communications lead |
| Public fighter pay or contract complaint (W3, W4) | Acknowledge and move the conversation to a direct call | Fighter-relations lead follows up; bring forward commitments if they are ready | Fighter-relations lead |
| Paul controversy (W7) | Paul speaks only as an athlete; the company does not comment on contracts or finances | Chief executive statement only if the company is implicated | Chief executive |
Measurement
Baselines come from the September 25 audience baseline [D1, D2] and are observational, not representative. The monitoring service reruns the same 15 queries every two weeks and codes new Reddit threads by event, so every result compares with the baseline.
| Metric | Baseline (Sep 25) | Target | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stale CEO listings on page one (Wikipedia, LinkedIn, PFL 2025 release) [D1] | 3 | 0 within 30 days of naming | Every two weeks |
| Company-owned page-one results for "PFL fighter pay" [D1] | 0 of 8 | At least 1 by Jan 31 | Every two weeks |
| Page-one results for "how to watch PFL 2027" that mention MVP MMA or 2027 [D1] | 0 of 8 | Owned page in the top three by Dec 31 | Every two weeks |
| Negative share of leadership comments in r/MMA [D2] | 18 of 28 | Below half in the next leadership thread | Per event |
| Comments assuming a Netflix deal [D2] | 7 of 150 | Lower in each new sample | Per event |
| Company content using "fighter-first" without a proof point | Not audited | 0 | Monthly audit |
Governance
- Approvals. The chief executive approves leadership, partner, and fighter-term messages. Legal reviews any statement about contracts or pay.
- Fact rule. Every public number needs a source, and company-reported figures are labeled as such in all materials.
- Cadence. A daily check-in runs through Phase 1, then weekly. Tier 1 alerts arrive within 24 hours (see the watchlist and monitoring proposal).
- Roles. Town Squared Strategies owns the plan, drafting, and monitoring. The company names a communications lead and a fighter-relations lead.
Risks to the plan
- Leadership slips past October 16. Every later phase moves with it, because no one can carry the fighter or crossover messages.
- The board declines to extend the pay practices. "Fighter-first" then stays paused, and Issue 2 remains High.
- No U.S. partner by launch. The crossover leans on international partners and event dates, and the UFC gains a "no TV deal" line.
- Paul's fight schedule competes with company news. Keep company announcements off Paul's fight weeks where possible.