Bellator 57 Nets 129,000 Viewers
Mike WhitmanNov 15, 2011
Bellator Fighting Championships drew an average of 129,000 viewers with its Saturday broadcast of Bellator 57 on MTV2. Sherdog.com confirmed the viewership figure with an industry source on Tuesday following an initial report from MMAJunkie.com.
The number reflects a steady decrease for the promotion over its last four events. After 185,000 viewers tuned in to watch Bellator 54, the promotion has posted figures of 168,000, 154,000 and this week’s 129,000 viewers. The promotion’s Season 5 viewership peaked on Oct. 1, as 269,000 observers watched Bellator 52; the low mark came the following week, when Bellator 53 pulled an audience of only 103,000.
Featuring the finals of Bellator’s fifth-season middleweight and welterweight tournaments, Bellator 57 marked the promotion’s second trip to Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada. Douglas Lima earned a shot at Bellator welterweight ace Ben Askren by knocking out UFC vet Ben Saunders, while Alexander Shlemenko pocketed a second shot at middleweight champ Hector Lombard with a unanimous decision over Vitor Vianna.