Diaz vs. Daley Provides Slight Strikeforce TV Ratings Boost on Showtime

Nick Diaz and Paul Daley

Strikeforce on Saturday held its first event in San Diego, and its first major event under the ownership of Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley aired live on Showtime (delayed on the West Coast) to an average viewing audience of 528,000, industry sources told MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday. That represents a slight improvement over March’s Feijao vs. Henderson event in Columbus, Ohio, which drew 412,000 viewers.

That number, however, is still well below Strikeforce’s highest rating on the network. Fedor vs. Silva, which took place on Feb. 12, drew an average of 741,000 viewers.

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz continued his streak of domination, finishing British brawler Paul Daley just before the bell sounded to end round one. Gilbert Melendez, the promotion’s lightweight champion, continued his push to be considered the best lightweight in the world with his first-round finish of Top 10 fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri.