UFC 164 Prelims TV Ratings Lowest for PPV Prelims Since the Move to Fox

The UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2 preliminary bout telecast on Fox Sports 1 attracted an audience of 809,000 viewers. That is the lowest TV ratings number that a UFC prelims broadcast in support of a pay-per-view event has drawn since moving to the Fox family of networks.

The previous low point was the first UFC Prelims broadcast on FX in support of UFC 142 in January of 2012. Like the UFC 142 Prelims on FX, the UFC 164 Prelims on Fox Sports 1 was the first event broadcast in support of a pay-per-view event.

A significant difference, however, is that Fox Sports 1 is a new network that launched just two weeks prior to UFC 164. FX was already a long established network.

The two-hour UFC 164 Prelims broadcast featured four fights, and was headlined by a lightweight bout between Gleison Tibau and Jamie Varner.

The UFC had already promoted two live Fight Night events on FS1 prior to the UFC 164 prelims. UFC Fight Night 26, featuring Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Chael Sonnen in the main event, drew 1.78 million viewers to the network. UFC Fight Night 27, featuring a Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann rematch, attracted 824,000 viewers.

The UFC returns to FS1 on Wednesday night with UFC Fight Night 28 from Brazil. The main event features light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader squaring off.

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