Spike TV: UFC 119 Prelims Score 1.3 Million Viewers

The special, which immediately preceded the UFC 119 pay-per-view, also drew a 0.9 household rating. This figure showed improvement over UFC 118’s household rating of 0.83. In the coveted 18-to-34 demographic, the program earned a 1.3 rating, while it scored a 1.2 with viewers aged 18 to 49.

The program’s viewership swelled and diminished throughout the hour of preliminary bouts. About 1.2 million viewers tuned in for the first quarter hour, and that number increased to 1.36 million for the second 15 minutes. For the second half hour, however, the show attracted 1.3 million and 1.2 million viewers, respectively.

The “UFC Prelims” special showcased two live bouts. In the first fight, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Matt “Meathead” Mitrione took a hard-fought unanimous decision over Joey Beltran. Then, former Arizona State University wrestling standout C.B. Dollaway submitted Joe Doerksen with a highlight-worthy guillotine choke.

Despite the boost from UFC 118, the prelim rating was still nowhere near the largest the UFC has posted this year. That distinction belongs to February’s UFC 109 prelims, which attracted 1.7 million viewers.