David Schwarz from Spike TV sent along the following:
KIMBO SLICE DRAWS 5.2 MILLION VIEWERS FOR HIS FIRST LIVE FIGHT IN THE UFC ON SPIKE TV
Most Watched “The Ultimate Fighter” Finale In Franchise History And Biggest Audience For A Live UFC Fight In 2009
New York, NY, December 8, 2009 – Spike TV’s telecast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” live finale on Saturday, December 5 was the most watched final episode in the 10 seasons of the TUF franchise, peaking with 5.2 million viewers and a 5.9 rating with Men 18-34 for the Kimbo Slice-Houston Alexander fight. The over 5 million viewers were the most to watch a live UFC fight in 2009.
Overall, the three-hour fight card drew 3.7 million viewers, a 2.4 household rating, a 4.6 in Men 18-34 and was the most-watched show on cable with Men 18-34 and Men 18-49 for the day.
“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” live finale was the third most-watched UFC fight card ever.
Roy “Big Country” Nelson was named “The Ultimate Fighter” after knocking out Brendan Schaub with a devastating right hand to the head in the first round of their main event bout. Earlier in the night, Slice won a unanimous three-round decision over Alexander for his first victory in the UFC.
Season 10 of Spike TV’s signature franchise, “The Ultimate Fighter,” was the most-watched ever for the series, bucking the common trend of a show’s ratings to erode over time. The series drew an average of 3.4 million viewers as compared to an average of 2 million viewers for the previous nine seasons.
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