{"id":670302,"date":"2026-05-14T11:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/670302\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T11:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:46:09","slug":"hastings-native-kenneth-cross-set-to-make-history-in-netflixs-mma-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/670302\/","title":{"rendered":"Hastings native Kenneth Cross set to make history in Netflix\u2019s MMA debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hastings<\/a><\/p>\n

Hastings native Kenny \u201cThe Boss\u201d Cross will appear this weekend on Netflix\u2019s first mixed-martial arts event, where he will face Salahdine Parnasse of France. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

This weekend, streaming giant Netflix is poised to make history, and a Hastings native will be right at the center of it.<\/p>\n

In a landmark move for the platform, Netflix will host its first-ever live mixed martial arts event, tapping into a sport that has exploded in popularity over the last decade. The event, titled MVP MMA 1, features a card stacked with big names like Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and Francis Ngannou. Sharing that high-profile stage is Kenneth Cross, a Hastings High School graduate and former standout Saxons wrestler.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t care who the opponent was,\u201d said Cross from his home in Las Vegas. \u201cWhen I found out what I\u2019d be making and where I\u2019d be fighting, and that it was on Netflix, I was in.\u201d<\/p>\n

MVP MMA 1 airs live on Netflix this Saturday, May 16, from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Cross is slated to face Frenchman Salahdine Parnasse, an opponent currently riding a hot streak with a 22-2 record.<\/p>\n

Cross, known to fans as Kenny \u201cThe Boss\u201d Cross, is no newcomer to the cage. He has been a professional fight\u00ader for a decade, navigating a career that included a brief stint with Bellator and a selection for The Ultimate Fighter television show, though he and other contestants were eventually moved to alternate status and did not appear on the show. He also competed, and won, on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series.<\/p>\n

Now boasting a 17-4 record, Cross maintains that the biggest fight of his career is always the next one. However, he acknowledged the high stakes of performing before a massive global audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love where I\u2019m at right now but it\u2019s always been a goal of mine to get those UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) shorts,\u201d Cross said. \u201cIt\u2019s my dream to fight in that UFC octagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Cross is a seasoned veteran on paper, the first half of his career was fueled by instinct rather than elite train\u00ading. After graduating from Hastings High School as a decorated wrestler \u2014 qualifying for the state meet three con\u00adsecutive years and finishing fourth as a senior \u2014 he entered the workforce. He spent years in blue-collar roles.<\/p>\n

Cross decided to test the waters of a sport that was exploding in popularity. His first amateur fight took place at the Barry Expo Center, where he secured a victory in less than a minute. He went 7-0 as an amateur without formal training.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my journey, I like to learn the hard way,\u201d Cross said. \u201cI was just lucky and talented and blessed. I went pro and won three more and I still had no idea what I was doing. I hadn\u2019t joined a gym yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, the undefeated Cross finally got the first taste of defeat \u2013 twice. And, in 2022, after being invited to Las Vegas for The Ultimate Fighter, the light bulb finally came on that, to be an elite fighter, he had to train like one. Realizing he wasn\u2019t the \u201ctop dog\u201d among the elite Vegas gyms, he convinced his now-wife to move out west and start a new chapter.<\/p>\n

Today, Cross now trains at Vegas-based Syndicate MMA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018Let\u2019s work\u2019 and I was laser focused and doors kept opening with that mentality,\u201d Cross said. \u201cThree years later, we have a nice house, I\u2019m with a great gym, I\u2019m acquiring sponsors and eating steak dinners with UFC champions. It wasn\u2019t the route that MMA fighters usually take, but I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, Cross looks to kick open the biggest door yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the best camp I\u2019ve ever had and I have my relationship with Jesus,\u201d Cross said. \u201cI\u2019ve given him all the fear. Fear can\u2019t live where faith belongs. That\u2019s what I live by.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hastings native Kenny \u201cThe Boss\u201d Cross will appear this weekend on Netflix\u2019s first mixed-martial arts event, where he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-670302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}