The UFC on FOX 5 event delivered solid ratings on Saturday night and is certainly considered a ratings success. The broadcast averaged 4.4 million viewers which was an 83% increase over the UFC on FOX 4 event that took place in August.
The event peaked with 5.7 million viewers during the UFC lightweight title fight main event that saw Ben Henderson defend his title against Nate Diaz to win a unanimous decision.
One of the more important aspects of the event was that the ratings steadily increased as the broadcast went on and the ratings for the following fights can be found below:
- Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick (3.6 million viewers)
- Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn (4.3 million viewers)
- Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (4.5 million viewers)
The event also scored the third-highest ratings numbers for prime-time programs among men 18-34 behind NBC’s Sunday night NFL game and “The Simpsons” on FOX. The show was No. 4 among men 18-49.
This is certainly welcome news for UFC fans and for FOX in general as the last two UFC on FOX events averaged just 2.4 million viewers. The UFC on FOX 2 event did a healthy 4.7 million viewers with the UFC on FOX 1 special averaging 5.7 million viewers for Junior dos Santos’s 64 knockout win over Cain Velasquez.
The next UFC on FOX event will air Saturday, Jan. 26 (8:00 PM ET) as flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defends his title against John Dodson live from the United Center in Chicago, IL.
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