UFC 141 ratings for 'Prelims' on Spike TV attract 1.8 million viewers

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Spike TV saved the best for last with their hour-long UFC 141 "Prelims" special that led into the "Lesnar vs. Overeem" pay-per-view (PPV) event on Dec. 30, 2011.

Almost.

The final episode on the network reeled in 1.8 million viewers, which is good enough for second-best in 26 total broadcasts, according to MMAWeekly.com. UFC 126, which featured Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly and Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa, earlier this year sits in the top spot with 2 million viewers.

Regardless, those are solid ratings for the UFC 141 special, considering the bouts -- Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assuncao and Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo -- were not memorable contests. Competitive, certainly, but two fights that didn't necessarily set the mixed martial arts (MMA) world on fire.

Pearson -- who was making his featherweight division debut -- took the decision over Assuncao, while Castillo wrestled his way to victory over "The Assassin."

In 2012, the promotion will begin to air its "Prelims" specials on FX and FUEL TV, thanks to a landmark network television deal with FOX Sports that concludes in 2019.

For complete UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.