M-1 Challenge 27 Earns 185,000 Viewers with Live Showtime Airing

The telecast also earned a 0.6 household rating with its five-fight main card headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Vinny Magalhaes (Pictured) and Mikhail Zayats. Sherdog.com confirmed the viewership figures with an industry source on Wednesday.

In addition to Magalhaes’ successful 205-pound title defense, the evening also featured an interim heavyweight title bout between Kenny Garner and Maxim Grishin. Garner was originally slated to rematch M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, but the Ukrainian was forced to withdraw from the contest after dislocating his elbow in training just days before the event.

A former title challenger, Grishin stepped up to fill the void on short notice but was turned away by Garner, who pounded the Russian into submission with just 53 seconds remaining in the fifth round.

The reported viewership numbers represent a rebound for M-1 following its July performance on Showtime, which netted 161,000 viewers. The Russian promotion’s inaugural effort on the premium cable station set the bar in March, as M-1 Challenge 24 took in a series-high 189,000 viewers.