UFC 145 Prelims Draw 1.6 Million Viewers on FX; Bellator 66 Pulls 109,000 on MTV2

Meanwhile, Bellator Fighting Championships saw its Friday night effort yield the second-lowest viewership figure of Season 6. Bellator 66 brought in just 109,000 viewers on MTV2, trailing only Bellator 61, which netted 108,000.

Headlined by a light heavyweight title clash between former teammates Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, UFC 145 took place at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The undercard offering featured six bouts in total, four of which aired on FX. Highlighting the broadcast was a quick submission victory for heavyweight prospect Travis Browne over Strikeforce vet Chad Griggs, as well as a bloody, three-round welterweight affair that saw Matt Brown best Stephen Thompson.

The night prior, Bellator 66 showcased arguably its stoutest card of the season, topped by a lightweight rematch between former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and reigning Dream kingpin Shinya Aoki at the I-X Center in Cleveland. Alvarez easily dispatched the Japanese submission ace, evening the score by blasting Aoki with a first-round uppercut before sealing the deal with ground-and-pound. Lightweight and middleweight tournament semifinals were also featured, as Brent Weedman, Rick Hawn, Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang moved one step closer to a shot at Bellator gold.