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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Though final adjusted numbers for Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 event from Chicago - including peak numbers for the two and a half hour broadcast - won't be known for a few more days, a more detailed breakdown on the overnight ratings has been provided by the Fox Sports Media Group.
The second hour of the event, which was in the same timeslot as November's Heavyweight Championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, was slightly behind the overnight's of that broadcast. Initially, that show's mark was a 3.6 rating and a 6 share, whereas Saturday's broadcast came in at a 3.1/5 share for the 9PM ET hour.
Ratings for the event rose throughout the night, as the broadcast brought more viewers for each subsequent fight. The Demian Maia-Chris Weidman bout did a 2.3/4, the co-main event between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping brought a 2.9/5, and the final bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis drew a 3.4/6.
The Fox Sports Media Group also provided the ratings breakdowns for several key markets as well, which are below:
Las Vegas - 4.1/8; Louisville - 4.1/7; Indianapolis - 3.9/7; Greenville - 3.9/6; Tulsa - 3.9/6; and Knoxville - 3.9/6. Other markets of interest: New York - 2.2/4; Los Angeles - 2.3/5; and host city Chicago - 2.8/5.
Penick's Analysis: The one hour broadcast of November's UFC on Fox debut came in with an average of 5.7 million viewers when all was said and done, with a peak of 8.8 million viewers. This two-hour broadcast may ultimately average slightly less, but it's still going to be a solid number, and was far and away the most viewed broadcast of the night on network television on Saturday. Three lengthy bouts that weren't necessarily the most interesting likely led to some checking in and out, but the fact that the numbers rose throughout the night is a positive. All in all, this will be a moderate success for the UFC; it's not a home run on viewership, but it's also nowhere near a disastrous number for the UFC or Fox.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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