Official ratings reports have surfaced for UFC on FOX and the number is promising. Averaging 5.4 million viewers for the telecast, the 64-second main event drew a record-breaking 8.8 million. This makes Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos the highest-rated MMA bout in North American history.
I had heard rumblings that the “magic number” for FOX execs was 4 million viewers, so these numbers must make them very happy. Would a longer main event have drawn more of an audience? Honestly, I have no idea.
A hard-hitting, decisive victory in the first round sets a precedent for the exciting action that UFC can produce. As I said in my previous post on this subject, a main event lasting five rounds would have probably turned off most of the audience.But a match somewhere in between, perhaps a knockout in the end of the second or middle of the third round may have seen the audience increase as more people told their friends to tune in.
Speculation aside, the real test will be UFC on FOX 2. Does the second even draw a bigger viewing audience? Will it be the same format, with only one fight on the card? What weight class or fighters will be featured? These are the hooks that should draw the long-time UFC fan and newcomers to the next event.