Even though Demetrious Johnson was going for his record-tying 10th consecutive title defense, and Michelle Waterson was coming off winning a main event that did big numbers, last night’s UFC on FOX show did the lowest numbers on the overnights in history.
Johnson’s third round win over Wilson Reis did 1.74 million viewers on the overnights, down 18 percent from last April’s Glover Teixeira vs. Rashad Evans main event, and down 28 percent from the numbers Luke Rockhold vs. Lyoto Machida pulled two years ago.
FOX drew the least amount of viewers in prime time last night of the four major networks last night. But they tied the NHL playoff game with the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators for second place in the 18-49 demo, with a 0.6.
The audience number will increase when the final ratings come out Monday or Tuesday. The 1.74 million measures what is on during the 8-10 p.m. slot on the West Coast, which was local programming. It also doesn’t measure the period after 10 p.m., when most of the main event took place, and is almost always the most-watched portion of the show.
It was Johnson’s fourth time to headline on FOX, and his prior numbers on the overnights ranged from 2.04 million to 3.77 million. Waterson’s last fight, a win over Paige VanZant in December, drew the best UFC on FOX numbers for a live show in several years.