TUF 16 TV Ratings Drop Back Down to Near Series Historical Low

Following back-to-back weeks of relatively strong TV ratings, Friday’s episode 10 of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson came crashing back to Earth.

The recent episode of TUF 16 pulled in just 643,000 viewers, according to MMAWeekly.com’s industry sources.

That’s well below the season high of 1.1 million, but just above the series’ historical low point of 624,000, which occurred during the fifth week of TUF 16.

UFC and FX officials long defended the show’s Friday night time slot, but has seemingly admitted defeat, acknowledging that next year’s TUF 17 will find a new home earlier in the week. Recent rumors have speculated a Wednesday night timeslot for season 17, which is set to feature coaches Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, but neither company’s officials are ready to commit to anything other than “it will be a weeknight” just yet.

The move to an earlier night in the week, coupled with the drawing power of Jones and Sonnen, should provide a boost in the ratings, which have been less than stellar since moving to FX for two seasons in 2012.

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