Bellator 106: Chandler vs. Alvarez II Sets Record High TV Ratings Mark

Bellator MMA, in one week, more than doubled its TV ratings results week-over-week, setting a new all-time high mark for the promotion.

Bellator 106 delivered 1.1 million viewers for Chandler vs. Alvarez II, the largest viewership ever in the promotion’s history.

The fight card peaked at 1.4 million viewers at 11:17 p.m. ET for the main event rematch between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez. The telecast also ranked No. 2 on cable television in its timeslot with Men 18-49.

Bellator 106 was initially slated to be the promotion’s first-ever pay-per-view offering, featuring a main event between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz. Ortiz, however, had to withdraw little more than a week prior to the event due to a fractured neck.

Following a brief scramble, the decision was made to keep the fight card intact, minus the original main event, and move it to Spike TV as a free offering. The lightweight title fight between Chandler and Alvarez was upgraded to main event status, with a Bellator interim light heavyweight championship between Emanuel Newton and King Mo Lawal slotted as the co-main event. The five-fight card on Spike also featured a featherweight title bout between Pat Curran and Daniel Straus.

In this day and age of DVR-savvy viewers, there were several fans that missed the headliner due to the length of the event running well beyond its scheduled ending time. Spike TV, however, will replay the Chandler vs. Alvarez main event bout on Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, as a lead-in to the Bellator 107 telecast at 9 p.m. ET/PT.