Overall viewership for UFC on Fox 2 compared to UFC on Fox 1 may be down, but there were also positive indicators for the MMA juggernaut’s sophomore effort on “Big Fox.”
The overall average audience dipped from 5.3 million viewers for the inaugural UFC on Fox broadcast to 4.7 million for the two-hour-and-19-minute UFC on Fox 2.
UFC on Fox 1 was a one-hour telecast that featured the highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. UFC on Fox 2 was slated for two hours and a tripleheader bill on non-title bouts, Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis headlining.
The fight between Velasquez and dos Santos piqued at 8.8 million viewers, the highest of any single MMA fight in broadcast television history in the United States. The Evans vs. Davis bout was the high point of UFC on Fox 2, topping out at slightly more than six million viewers.
Fox officials are still touting the numbers turned in by UFC on Fox 2, especially in the key advertiser demographics.
UFC on Fox 2 pulled in an overall national rating of 2.6 for a 5 share. In the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic, the event pulled a 2.4 ratings, which was only a tenth below the 2.5 total off all three of the other major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) combined. In addition to that, Fox trumped the other networks by dominating the Adults 18-34 demographic, pulling a 2.5 rating compared to the other three networks combined total of 1.4.