Today's Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis Headquarters

Dave Meltzer at WrestlingObserver.com is reporting that the UFC 70: Nations Collide event on SpikeTV this past Saturday drew a 1.8 rating.

Now I don’t know specifically what that translates too, but to put it into perspective the Ultimate Fighter reality show episodes generally gather anywhere between a 1.1 and 1.5 rating. The IFL Battleground shows generally average between a 0.7 and 1.1 rating. I think this means that approximately 1.8% of all tvs were tuned into UFC 70 or something like that. Either way, in my opinion that is a pretty low number. Many expectations were expecting UFC 70 to draw anywhere from a 3.0 to 4.2.

However, MMANews.com is reporting that that the show was actually a huge ratings success for SpikeTV.

UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE SPARKS HUGE RATINGS FOR SPIKE TV

More Men 18-34 Watch UFC 70 Than NASCAR on FOX, NBA Playoffs On ESPN, and MLB Rivalries Yankees vs Red Sox and Cubs vs Cardinals on FOX

Highlighted by Gabriel Gonzaga’s stunning upset of Mirko Cro Cop in the night’s main event, UFC70: NATIONS COLLIDE, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first foray into Europe since 2002, garnered tremendous ratings with fans back in the United States on Spike TV. The three hour fight card on Saturday, April 21 (9:00 PM Midnight, ET/PT) from the M.E.N. arena in Manchester , England drew an average of 2.8 million viewers. The telecast peaked with a 4.36 rating in M 18-34 and a 2.24 household for an average of 3.5 million viewers during the 11:45 PM Midnight quarter hour. It was the 2nd most watched UFC fight card in history, after the 3rd bout between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz on Spike TV last October. The historic event drew more Men 18-34 than the NASCAR Subway Fresh 500 on FOX head to head in primetime, as well as first round coverage of the NBA playoffs on ESPN, and Saturday afternoon baseball on FOX featuring marquee matchups between perennial rivals the Yankees and Red Sox and the Cardinals and Cubs. The fight card featured Gonzaga’s victory over Cro Cop, as well wins by UFC heavyweights Andrei Arlovski and Chieck Kongo, and, in light heavyweight competition, Liverpool native Michael Bisping.

Overall, the fight card drew a 1.84 household rating (1.7 million homes), a 2.59 in M18-49 (1.4 million), and a 3.23 in M18-34 (885, 000).

Among the ratings highlights include:

·UFC 70 drew more Men 18-34 (885, 000 viewers), than anything on television (broadcast or cable) on Saturday, April 21, with over 100,000 more impressions in the demographic than its nearest competitor (NASCAR on FOX).

·The fight card for Spike TV was up +651% with Men 18-34, +2150% M18-24, and +406% M 25-34 versus a year ago.

So, judging from the UFC’s target market, which is the male 18-34 year old crowd, they definitely succeeded and hit their target audience well.

24 Comments
What do you have to say? Leave a Comment

  1. UFCDaily.com says:

    I am trying to find the original source of the above text cited to MMANEWS.com as it’s been on several sites now but in the text it says that this was the second most watched UFC event ever which is pretty impressive. Also it displayed 600+% growth over 1 year ago. I dissected it a bit at my site but I think these numbers are very impressive. Again the numbers say 1.7 million homes which equates to 2.8 million people averaged over a 3 hour span.

    I think it’s impressive.

  2. richard says:

    i had it on the whole time but the fights kinda sucked bisbing in my opionion shouldnt have even faught elvis but i guess the ganzaga NA-POW kick made up for the rest

  3. MMAKansas says:

    I guess the key word here is “impressive” with a lisp.. lol

  4. MMAKansas says:

    Just a parting shot at anyone who says different. Chuck (ranked #1 in the world for lhw) will probably beat Quinton who by the way is only ranked number 8, so guys really, Quinton doesn’t ever really deserve his title shot, he is overhyped at this point in his career.
    Wanderlei Silva beat his butt like a girl just a couple years ago, and really has only lost one fight in his division for the title in the past 6 years so… yeah, regardless of his loss to Henderson, he would still be a much more exciting fighter to watch and would put on a much better show … by the way Wand is still ranked #4 peeps so for all the Wand haters.. the stats don’t lie, he was Champ a lot longer than Chuck, he has a 31 – 7 – 1 record.. Chuck has an impressive 20 – 3 – 0 record while Quit’n has a 26 – 6 – 0 record and lost to Wand.
    Funny thing is that Chucks win’s are 65% knockout or tko .. Wands are 67% knockout or tko and Quit’ns wins are only 47% knockout or tko, so which matchup would be better, THE KNOCKOUT ARTISTS WHO HAVE ABOVE 60% knockout ratios duhhh.
    Does Cro Cop suck now, NO! Had a bad night in the octagon, will come back like he did after Randleman… Wand? Same deal, he fought a much larger Cro Cop in a multiple fight tournament that by the way Chuck Liddell also got beaten at years earlier, and then came into the Henderson fight distracted, unprepared, and sick… no excuses but c’mon, the guy cant be discredited after holding the Pride LHW title for 6 years, how long has ANYONE held a LHW title compared to that? Chuck, NOPE .. Randy, NOPE, BJ, NOPE.. nobody has been more dominant and lethal than Wand.. sorry but all the UFC lovers, I like UFC too… but Wand is a Pride boy and I think he could kick Chuck a$$ any day of the week at any function..

  5. MMAKansas says:

    Correction:
    Chuck has a knockout percentage of 65.00%
    Quinton has a knockout percentage of 46.15%
    Wanderlei Silvas knockout percentage is 67.74%

    Other thing…. Chuck is 36 years old and has 20 wins, Wand is only 30 years old and already has 31 wins.

  6. R.J. St.Croix says:

    @kansas
    very good point. i am a huge liddell fan but when dana announced silva vs. liddell i said right off the hop that silva would beat liddell. i think silva is a f*ckin animal who should be locked up but he’s not so we get the joy of watching him hurt people lol.

    liddell is one of the very best mma has seen so dont hunt me down ok dennis? lol i would give my left nut to see liddell vs. silva and i dont think i could honestly cheer for one or the other cuz they both rule i think i would just be yelling HIT EM the whole time not caring who does it but i think in the end silva would win with his clinch work.

  7. MMAKansas says:

    @R.J.
    I gotta agree.. I like them both.. but you know that when Wand is focused, hungry, and mentally prepared .. he is an animal and I think in the last 2 years he has been too focused on trying to keep the whole organization of Pride going rather than focusing on Wand and his fighting .. too much pressure in other areas to focus on his profession and passion which is beating the crap out of people.. I hope with the Fertittas purchasing Pride that will all change. For all the Dana White haters out there, I think he does a good job of taking care of his fighters for the most part..

  8. PATRICK says:

    NA I WOULDNT AGREE HERE I THINK LIDDELL WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR WANDI GENTS

  9. MMAKansas says:

    @Patrick
    All the imperical data points in the other direction.. I guess I am curious as to why you think Liddell would beat Wand? What gives Chuck the edge?

  10. PATRICK says:

    KANSAS

    FOR STARTERS WE ALL KNOW THOSE ******** OVER AT MMAWEEKLY ARE ****** RETARTED….

    SECOND YES WAND IS VERY HUNGRY…. WAND JUST HAS BEEN GETTING KNOCKED OUT ALOT LATELY… AND IF HE CATCHES A FEW OF THE LIDDELL BOMBS HE WILL GET KO’D AGAIN I JUST THINK WANT CANT TAKE THE BOMBS.

  11. PATRICK says:

    KANSAS

    FIRST OF ALL WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE RETARDS OVER AT MMAWEEKLY DONT KNOW ****….

    SECOND OF ALL I JUST THINK THOSE BOMBS LIDDELL THROWS ARE TOO MUCH FOR WANDI… YEA HES HUNGRY BUT HES PRONE TO BEING KNOCKED OUT… I THINK LIDDELL RIGHT NOW IS JUST THE MAN WITH HIS LIGHTENING FAST PUNCHES ..

  12. MMAKansas says:

    @Pat
    I see …. good point definantly, and I know Dennis is going to banish me to hell when he reads this but I don’t think Wand is prone to being knocked out.. no more than Cro Cop or Quinton Jackson. The fact is that Wand has just gone through a bad streak.. but it’s coming to an end let me tell you ..
    Chuck has a lot less fights, has fought a lot less competition and while he throws some lightning in those hands.. Wand has his own.. just watch some Wand highlights and watch some of Chucks. .. Wands tend to be much more devistating .. and much more aggressive .. I mean.. Randy beat Chuck, but Chuck wasn’t washed up for it.. he just had a bad day in the octagon and came back dominant.. I think Wand will do the same and there will be a Liddell Wand fight and I think Wand has youth, experience, and underdog status to give him the edge ..

  13. todd says:

    well seein that wandy has 40 fights with 21 ko’s with 4 submissions and chuck has 23 fights with 1 submission, the odds of chuck putting you to sleep is 54% and the odds of wandy putting you to sleep is 52%. BUT the odds of wandy submitting you is .1% and the odds of chuck submitting you is .004, so i donno guys it is to tuff to tell. i dont know i like both of them and ill prolly be at the edge of my seat not caring who wins, i just wanna see the two best strikers in the game go at it. I would really want to see the staredown tho, that would be intense!!!!!!!!!

  14. PATRICK says:

    KANSAS

    TRUE TRUE,,,, I THINK WAND JUST NEEDS 1 OR 2 FIGHTS TO GET OUT OF HIS FUNK HIS EGO HAS TO BOOST BACK UP… THEN IF I WAS DANA I WOULD THINK ABOUT SETTING THOSE TWO UP….. THEN MAYBE WAND COULD TAKE IT I REALLY WOULDNT KNOW WHO TO PICK…. BUT IF THEY FAUGHT LIKE NOW OR EVEN IF THEY FIGHT AFTER WANDI GETS A WIN I STILL THINK CHUCK WOULD TAKE IT… WANDI NEEDS TO OR MORE WINS IN MY OPINION …. THEN HE GO INTO THE RING AND MAYBE BE ABLE TO FU*CK CHUCK THEN ??? THATS WHAT I THINK…. GOOD POINTS KANSAS I DO ALSO THINK THAT WANDI IS A LIL MORE ON THE WILD SIDE… I DUNNO

  15. PATRICK says:

    LIDDELL HAS A SUBMISSION… NO WAY … WHEN WAS THIS AND WHO WAS IT PUT ON?

  16. hotpad says:

    ok, ok. hear my goofy *** out. take mirko filipovic, put an ear ring on him, some big *** sunglasses, and a leather jacket on him and i swear, you’ll think it’s bono from u2. just another off color observation of mine.

  17. hotpad says:

    oh, and chuck will once again prove he is the #1 lhw for now!!

  18. Dennis says:

    MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185-pound limit)

    #1 Middleweight Fighter in the World: Matt Lindland

    2. Anderson Silva

    3. Paulo Filho

    4. Rich Franklin

    5. Dan Henderson

    6. Denis Kang

    7. Nathan Marquardt

    8. Robbie Lawler

    9. Kazuo Misaki

    10. Frank Trigg

    MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings last updated on April 25, 2007

  19. Dennis says:

    WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170-pound limit)

    #1 Welterweight Fighter in the World: Matt Serra

    2. Georges St. Pierre

    3. Matt Hughes

    4. Josh Koscheck

    5. BJ Penn

    6. Diego Sanchez

    7. Karo Parisyan

    8. Jon Fitch

    9. Jake Shields

    10. Akira Kikuchi

    MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings last updated on April 25, 2007

  20. Dennis says:

    This is awesome news…….
    UFC 70 drew more Men 18-34 (885, 000 viewers), than anything on television (broadcast or cable) on Saturday, April 21, with over 100,000 more impressions in the demographic than its nearest competitor (NASCAR on FOX).

  21. richard says:

    good news cuz we have more ppv for free on spike

  22. PATRICK says:

    MAN THOSE DICKHEADS OVER THERE ARE CRAZY … MMAWEEKLY….. MATT LINLAND IS STILL #1 … ARE THEY **** OR WHAT…

    THEY JUST FOOKIN HIGH

  23. richard says:

    hes last two losses have came by rampage at 205 and fedor at heavyweight so i guess they have no reason to take him off but i do agree patrick MMAWEEKLYS RANKING SYSTEM IS G*AY

Leave a Reply

MMA Gear

Jiu Jitsu Gi
  • Current Poll

    • Who will win the main event of UFC 146?

      View Results

      Loading ... Loading ...
  • Recent Comments

    • Amber: Yes he is Human but as a Role Model for so many and respected by so many this wasn’t the best idea to do. Yes it is sad he got...
    • eric: and jones always talks about how he looks at himself as a roll model for kids and must conduct himself respectful in and outside the...
    • capt.ADK'er: blahblahblah- he still lost to condit by an inability to achieve a basic principle of fighting- RING GENERALSHIP. so disappointing to...
    • Yael Grauer: Nope–fighters lose eligibility for rank in weight classes they haven’t competed in for 12 months.
    • itzFORT: no Tara LaRosa?
    • Singh is King: Good luck to lakhwinder sekhon Uk mma fighter
    • Fizzlesticks: \Lashley, unlike Bob Sapp, will not fold like the proverbial house of cards at the first sign of trouble\ lol wut
    • WTFH: Big Tims sleeping on Roy Nelson and Hunt they could both knock the crap out of him.
    • Studog: Dear Anderson Silva: Do us all a favor and drop this chump.
    • Studog: This is huge for Chael Sonnen. He did NOT want to fight Anderson in Brazil.
    Most Active Last 30 Days
      No commenters found.
    Facebook contest

    page top
    Home  |  Contact  |  Email List  |  MMA Resources  |  MMA Gyms  |  RSS

    Copyright © 2004 - 2012 MMAHQ.com All rights reserved.



    See Today's Deal
    bt
    #