5.3 Million Viewers Tune In to see Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson Fight on TUF 10: Heavyweights on Spike TV

TUF 10 Easily Beats the Competition on Broadcast and Cable, Drawing Both Young Men AND Women

October 1, 2009, New York , NY– Spike TV’s“ The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” is the undisputed ratings champ on Wednesday nights.  The most recent episode of the tenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” drew 5.3 million viewers, peaking at a staggering 6.1 million viewers on Wednesday, September 30 (10:00pm-11:00pm ET/PT).  Featuring a fight between contestants Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson, the telecast ranks as the most-watched episode of an original series in the six-year history of the channel* and the most-watched program of any kind in Men 18-34 and Men 18-49. 

“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” was clearly the top-rated program on television on Wednesday with men in all key demographics including Men 18-34, M18-49, M18-24, and M25-34.  It also was the most watched program among Persons 18-34 with a 4.7 rating (2.7 million), illustrating co-viewing among young men and women. 

The episode also drew more Men 18-34 than anything else on television this week thus far, except Monday Night Football on ESPN.  Also of note, only seven series in all of television this fall season drew more men 18-34, despite “The Ultimate Fighter” being in its tenth season. 

Overall, the record-breaking telecast drew a 6.9 in Men 18-34 (2 million), a 5.4 in M18-49 (3.1 million), a household rating of 3.7 and 5.3 million total viewers.

The 6.1 million viewership peak at 9:45 pm for the Kimbo Slice - Roy Nelson fight trumps any UFC programming ever on Spike TV.  The previous mark was 5.9 million viewers for Rampage Jackson - Dan Henderson fight at UFC 75 in September, 2007.  Also, the repeat at 11:00pm drew an impressive 1.5 million viewers. Thus, the combined audience of both telecasts reached 6.8 million viewers.  

“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” features former UFC light heavyweight champions “Suga” Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as coaches and is the only installment in the show’s history to include only the heavyweight weight class (206+ lbs).  The cast includes a list of notable athletes with impressive and diverse pedigrees including four former NFL players, UFC veterans, a former IFL heavyweight champ and a highly-publicized former EliteXC fighter, Kimbo Slice, who gained prominence through his non-sanctioned bouts on YouTube.

* the previous record was 4.1 million viewers for the premiere of “The Ultimate Fighters: Heavyweights” was set September 16, 2009.

Press Release Published October 1, 2009

The Ultimate Fighter logo used with permission from the UFC