The ratings came in yesterday for UFC 105: "Couture vs. Vera" from the tape-delayed feed originating out of the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England, on Saturday, November 14.
The Spike TV broadcast garnered a 1.9 household rating for an average 2.9 million viewers last Saturday night. The event also did well demographically with males 18-34 (3.45) and males 18-49 (2.84).
As expected, the cable network and UFC officials were quick to point out all the areas in which the overseas event beat the recent Strikeforce CBS broadcast of "Fedor vs. Rogers," and while they did fare better in certain demographics, it wasn't exactly a grand slam.
Here is a quick side by side comparison of two shows, courtesy of MMA Payout:
- P 18-34 by 30% (UFC 105 2.37, CBS Saturday Night Fights 1.82)
- M 18-34 by 49% (UFC 105 3.45, CBS Saturday Night Fights 2.32)
- M 18-24 by 73% (UFC 105 2.99, CBS Saturday Night Fights 1.73)
- M 25-34 by 37% (UFC 105 3.78, CBS Saturday Night Fights 2.76)
- M 18-49 by 16% (UFC 105 2.84, CBS Saturday Night Fights 2.45)
Strikeforce "Saturday Night Fights" did pull in more average viewers (2.9 million vs. 4.04 million) and more main event viewers (3.7 million vs. 5.46 million). How many of those 5.46 million viewers were turning in to see the news is uncertain, but the number is what it is.
The bottom line is both events did good, but not spectacular, and will likely both be obliterated in the ratings when Kimbo Slice meets Houston Alexander at the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Dec. 5.
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