‘TUF 15’ Hits New Low; Episode 11 Draws 821,000 Viewers to FX

The figure, which was revealed to Sherdog.com by an industry source, is the lowest in the seven-year history of the reality series. It marks the fourth consecutive week -and fifth overall -- that ratings for “TUF Live” have dipped below the 1 million mark. The previous low for the season come when 929,000 people watched Episode 8 on April 27.

“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 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.

Last week’s episode featured the final two quarterfinal bouts: Team Cruz’s Vinc Pichel earned a unanimous decision over Team Faber’s Chris Saunders, while Al Iaquinta scored a first-round knockout victory against Andy Ogle in a pairing of Team Faber training partners. At the end of the show, UFC President Dana White announced that Renan “Barao” Pegado would replace Cruz in an interim bantamweight title showdown against Faber at UFC 148.

This week, James Vick will square off with Mike Chiesa, and Vince Pichel will lock horns with Al Iaquinta in the semifinal pairings. The “TUF 15” Finale takes place on June 1 in Las Vegas and will feature the finalists of the show as well as a welterweight tilt between Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann.