Episode 9 of 'The Ultimate Fighter 15' Averages 954,000 Viewers on FX

The ratings were up slightly from the previous week, when Episode 8 drew a series-low 929,000 viewers to the channel. It was the third time the show had drawn less than 1 million viewers this season -- the fifth episode averaged 947,000 viewers on April 6.

“The Ultimate Fighter” began airing on Spike in 2005 and remained on the network through last year. When the Ultimate Fighting Championship joined forces with Fox, the series moved to FX in 2012.

Featuring UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former WEC featherweight king Urijah Faber as rival coaches, “TUF 15” is the first iteration of the reality series to feature live fights at the end of each show. Due to the live format, taping has been extended from six weeks in previous installments to 13 weeks for the current season.

Team Faber’s Andy Ogle defeated Team Cruz’s Mike Rio via rear-naked choke in the final first round matchup on Friday. This week’s episode will feature a pair of quarterfinal matchups -- James Vick versus Joey Proctor and Justin Lawrence versus Mike Chiesa.