UFC on Fox 6 Averages Nearly 3.78 Million Viewers, Kills Competition in Coveted Demographic

The flyweights have officially arrived and the numbers from the overnight ratings prove that people were definitely there in support.

The preliminary ratings for UFC on Fox 6 have been returned, and according to a report from TVByTheNumbers.com, the show headlined by flyweights Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson actually pulled in the third highest viewership yet for a UFC on Fox card.

Nearly 3.78 million viewers (3.7766 to be exact) on average watched the two-hour long broadcast that featured Johnson vs. Dodson in the main event, as well as the farewell fight for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as he lost to Glover Teixeira in what should likely be his last trip to the Octagon.

The ratings signify a 13-percent increase from the numbers returned for the UFC on Fox 5 card in December.

Now these initial numbers are only preliminary, and if anything represent a smaller segment of what will surely be a bigger viewing audience once the final reports come in from the Nielsen ratings system on Monday or Tuesday.

UFC on Fox 6 also killed the competition in the coveted 18-49 market, which is seen as the key group for advertisers. With a 1.8 share, UFC on Fox 6 nearly tripled its closest competitor, and while NCIS on CBS at 8pm just slightly beat the show in total viewers, that particular program is comprised mostly of watchers 50 years old and up.

The numbers released on Sunday also don’t reflect the additional time for the main event, which went well past the 10pm ending time showing for the ratings. It’s likely once more numbers are released for the main event plus DVR viewing is added in, UFC on Fox 6 will be a big success for the promotion and for Fox television.

As of right now, UFC on Fox 6 rates as the third highest show the promotion has had on the network based on preliminary numbers. The initial UFC on Fox card as well as UFC on Fox 2 both pulled in slightly higher ratings in the overnights, but UFC on Fox 6 comes in currently as a solid third place.

Considering that most thought headlining the show with a flyweight title fight was a risky move with two fighters showcased without household names attached to them, the UFC’s gamble paid off big with these initial ratings.

Look for more solid finalized numbers to be released on Monday or Tuesday of the upcoming week.