Spike TV: 'Bellator 131: Tito vs. Bonnar' peaks with 2 million viewers

Stephan Bonnar and Tito Ortiz

Like it or not, veterans Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar can still apparently draw a crowd.

The UFC Hall of Famers, who headlined this past Saturday’s heavily promoted Bellator 131 event, helped Spike TV draw an average audience of 1.2 million viewers for the night’s broadcast.

More specifically, the headliner, which took place at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center and saw Ortiz earn a split-decision victory, averaged 1.8 million viewers and hit a high of 2 million.

According to Spike TV, the record-setting event is the most-watched and highest–rated MMA fight on cable TV in 2014.

“Bellator 131 was an incredible event that had something for everybody, and I’m thrilled to see our efforts were so well-received by our fans,” Bellator President Scott Coker stated. “I’m very proud of our entire Bellator and Spike family for all of the hard work they put resulting in these record-breaking ratings. The most exciting thing for me is the knowledge that that we are just getting started, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store for the future.”

According to Spike TV, the Ortiz-Bonnar headliner is also the second highest-rated MMA fight telecast in all of TV among men 18-34 and men 18-49 in 2014. That includes network-televised UFC on FOX events.

In addition to Ortiz vs. Bonnar, which received the bulk of the event’s promotional muscle, Bellator 131 saw Will Brooks defeat former champ Michael Chandler to win the organization’s undisputed lightweight title, which Eddie Alvarez vacated earlier this year when signing with the UFC.

Bellator wrapped up its 11th season with Saturday’s event. Overall, the Season 11 events averaged 724,000 viewers.

As a comparison, Saturday’s UFC 180 prelims on FOX Sports 1 reportedly drew 624,000 viewers, and WSOF 15 on NBCSN drew 179,000.

In 2015, under the direction of new president Coker, Bellator is moving away from the traditional weekly/season format and shifting to monthly events.

For more on Bellator 131, check out the MMA Events section of the site.