UFC 128 Prelims Net 1.3 Million Viewers

Mike WhitmanMar 22, 2011

Spike TV’s hour-long UFC 128 “Prelims Live” special earned an average of 1.3 million viewers on Saturday night, according to figures released Tuesday by Spike officials to Sherdog.com.

The broadcast drew a household rating of 0.85, while scoring 0.92 and 1.03 ratings in the Males 18-49 and 18-34 demographics, respectively. The special aired opposite the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on March 19.

The 1.3 million viewers earned on Saturday night marks a considerable improvement over the promotion’s previous “Prelims Live” special, which drew 714,000 viewers on Ion Television prior to February’s UFC 127.

The UFC 128 special featured bouts pitting undefeated Brazilian striker Edson Barboza against the equally dynamic Anthony Njokuani, and Armory product Luis Cane against the returning Eliot Marshall. In a “Fight of the Night” winning performance, Barboza edged out Njokuani in a close unanimous decision, while Cane spoiled Marshall's Octagon return by extinguishing “The Fire” with first-round punches.