UFC on Fox 1 Peaks with 8.8 Million Viewers for Junior Dos Santos' Title Win

Initial numbers of the UFC on Fox 1 card last Saturday showed an average of 4.64 million viewers and then 5.7 million viewers, initially raising concerns that the UFC on Fox 1 main event's 64-second conclusion could not garner enough viewers in order to break the records set by EliteXC: Primetime in 2008.

Granted, the event did a 4.0 household rating among male viewers age 18-48 with a 4.3 household rating among male viewers age 18-34, but while that was good, the initial averages were not.

MMA fans showed concern that not even the peak that UFC on Fox 1 hit at main event time would be enough to be considered a major success as far as the event was concerned with what the average showed, and with the record of 4.3 million viewers that watched EliteXC: Primetime, along with the 6.5 million that tuned in to watch Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson fight James Thompson, things might have been looking rather low for the debut on Fox, which by no means failed to deliver action despite a slow start to the card.

MMA Junkie confirms, however, that the 64 seconds of UFC Heavyweight action that saw Junior Dos Santos dethrone Cain Velasquez and the other two minutes and 54 seconds prior to it caused a peak of 8.8 million viewers, and only after the event did that 8.8 million dwindle down to 5.9 million viewers.

Obviously that 5.7 million average could have higher numbers had the main event been the long drawn-out bout many thought it wouldn't be, but the 5.7 million average did break the record set by EliteXC's debut on CBS.

As for the 8.8 million viewers that helped the event peak?

Well, all we can say for that one is "so much for Kimbo vs.Thompson", though the EliteXC headliner did its part and made its mark.

However, the more legitimate Heavyweight bout—the title fight between the No. 1 and No. 2 Heavyweights in MMA—beat out the number that caused the EliteXC card's peak numbers by 2.3 million viewers.

Yes, fans and media might agree that the main event might have done higher numbers if it had been what only few—including myself—boldly predicted it would be. But, the argument exists to say that, in beating out the numbers EliteXC: Primetime set, as well as outdoing the numbers set by The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights—specifically the number set by Roy Nelson's bout with Kimbo Slice—as well as the number done by UFC 77, the debut of the Ultimate Fight Championships on Fox can be perceived as nothing more than a great success.