MMA Payout has learned from Nielsen sources that Bellator 110 on Spike TV received an average viewership of 880, 000 viewers. The show’s peak hit 1.1 million viewers between 11:00-11:14pm ET during the Jackson-M’Pumbu fight.
The debut of Season 10, Bellator 110 was up +99% in adults 18-49, +81% in Men 18-49, and +54% in Men 18-34 as compared to Season 9.
The show featured Rampage Jackson as he KO’s Christian M’Pumbu. It also included King Mo Lawal defeating Mikhail Zayats.
Payout Perspective:
We should note that there were actually three televised MMA events on Friday night including Bellator 110. A tape-delayed WSOF from Canada on NBC Sports Network and Titan FC’s inaugural show on CBS Sports Network also aired Friday night. Bellator’s 110 ratings are a great start to the tenth season. This may due in part to Rampage Jackson. Notably, Jackson’s fourth installment of #Rampage4Real airing on SpikeTV the night before received an average of 413,000 viewers which was up over 30% from its previous episodes as noted by The MMA Report. So the question is whether the ratings will drop next week without Rampage. Bellator has some momentum and we will see how it can capitalize on it.
Jeremy says
Ratings will absolutely drop without Jackson and Mo, but they may see numbers stronger than their overall average.
But I have to say, this was not the show one wants to have a huge crowd for. The Mo fight was bad enough to get the entire arena booing and, until the end, the Jackson fight was fairly slow.
saldathief says
What Bellator needs is for a UFC world champ to walk out of the UFC and come over to Bellator. Using fighters way past their prime and removed from the UFC for any amount of time discounts their product greatly. Just the amount of money it costs to put on a ppv and the amount they will lose they could buy a stable of UFC champs.
BrainSmasher says
BFC couldn’t afford to buy a UFC champ. They can throw money at one and lose their ass. But it wouldn’t do them any good. The problem they have is the UFC brand is the only thing in the sport that sells. That has always been the case. You buy a guy from the UFC. HE loses 90% of his appeal once he leaves. Guys have left the UFC before. Many of them in fact. Arlovski and Sylvia didn’t bring riches to Affliction. Barnett and Bustamante didn’t do anything for Pride PPV sales. Penn didn’t help K-1 sales. People want to see these fighters in the structure of the UFC. They want to see them compete with in the UFC and battle for position with fighters they know in a format they are used to. No one wants to see Tom Brady playing in the arena league. Yes its Tom Brady and its football. But it isn’t the same and no one cares to follow him anymore. The same with fighters. People want to see where you fit in among the UFC “league”. Watching them fight in fights that doesn’t effect that system makes those fights useless. Those fights do not effect the grand scheme of things. The UFC is the structure of the sport and is for all intent and purposes the sport. Leaving the UFC, you might as well be playing flag football.
That said, buying fighters is a waste of money. What Bellator needs to do and I have said this for other promotions who all spend themselves into bankruptcy. Fighters are a dime a dozen. There is not limit. You can sign them and replace the losers for peanuts. Over time you can create you own talent and your own fan base. The problem with buying fighters is you are paying based on their return for the UFC. You will never get that return. Also they will eventually lose. When that happens you are stuck under their massive contract. Then the guy who beat him will want what he was paid. Now everyone wants contracts you cant afford. Look how BFC’s negotiations with Alverez caused them to have to give Chandler and equal contract. Throwing money at guys can come back and bite you. Its best to create your own guys. Its more cost effective and it allows you to create your own identity. Bjorn wanted to do this at first but caved in to greed of going after big money and for Spike TV to get quick ratings. HE sold out and is now running a risky business strategy that has failed many times already. But he knew it was best to build his own fighters and not piggyback the UFC.
saldathief says
Dam I couldn’t even read all of that LOL
saldathief says
A few good point BS but what you are basically stating is the UFC has paper champions. and mma fans are too stupid to fallow a champion, rather they fallow a hyped out promotion. So basically a UFC belt is worthless, mma fans fallow the trend of the day and not a true champion fighter, also there is not enough financial support in mma from the fans to compete with the ufc. Boxing has had champions jump ship from promoters all the time to much success, I guess there is real fan support in boxing and very little in mma. Wow do we have a long way to go for mma to be considered a valid financial sport.
Diego says
BS,
Bellator built up Alvarez and was forced to give him a big contract one his old one ran out and he was able to negotiate with the UFC. It’s the same thing the UFC had to do with Melendez but in reverse. I know that you would love it if all fighters fought for “peanuts”, but that’s not the way to grow the sport.
Any fighter that Bellator builds up is in danger of being poached by the UFC once their contract runs out. At some point Bellator has to dig in and pay for it’s talent – whether homegrown or poached from other promotions. Otherwise they’re just a feeder for the UFC.
The Alvarez and Chandler contracts reflect Bellator protecting it’s home-grown talent, it doesn’t reflect Bjorn’s greed. The Rampage signing was a target of opportunity to try to get a guy who can move the needle and was unhappy with his promotion. I don’t think there’s much of a parallel between what Bellator is doing and what Affliction did.
Diego says
Anyway, 880k is a good number for Bellator.
BrainSmasher says
Salad
No it doesn’t mean they have paper champs. It means they have the structure and the means to not only find and create the best fighters. But also keep making them prove they are the best. Having better comp makes fighters train harder and be better. You don’t have that on the same level in BFC. You can’t prove you are the best or still the best. So even if they stole a UFC champ. It would be pointless to follow them. The UFC has the best fighters in the world and all the best want to be there. The fans know this.
BrainSmasher says
Diego
Yes BFC will have to bid to keep their own stars. But my point is it is more cost effective. Look at how much Alverez last contract was worth compared to his new contract. His value didn’t jump over night. Before he signed that new contract he was worth more than he was being paid. BFC benefited from him out performing his last contract. That’s why u want to create talent. Before he lost to Chandler he was worth about 250k per fight. BFC was paying him like 20k. It’s always profitable to have a star on their way up and they take a loss when the fighter is on his way down and under perform their contract. Bidding for UFC guys gives BFC stars on their way down not on their way up.
Diego says
BS, that’s true. Building talent is always the better (cheaper) way to go in terms of salary costs, but will not necessarily give you the best return on investment. Someone with a big name can draw eyes and give you an immediate impact. Bellator has to weigh the short and long term effects of their actions, and I’m sure they’re doing so in some way.
TRUTHspitter says
Absolutely atrocious performance all around
rampage NEEDED to place them into the upper echelon of 950k to 1 million plus averages for him to be a success (the biggest star they have)
this didnt even chart into the top 100…..
the primetime adults average was lower than the weekly as well as the basic primetime veiwership numbers…
and now that this supposed “huge” season debut is over who or what will lift and carry the averages into the range they need to be in?!? (rampage vs mo is likely ppv)
and another thing that no one seems to discuss is what happened to bellators talent scouting and signing process?!?
its entirely TOO quiet on that front!
now that the UFC is signing is expanding and putting on shows all over the world and in conjunction with the eddie alvarez case ( as well as other less popular fighter contractual issues) prospects appear to be shunning them almost completely……
it appears to be the UFC signing 99% of the worldly talent leaving RFA, WSOF, Titan, Legend, etc. the rest {i.e. 1%}
you must admit that bellator used to be one of THE premier places for the russian contingent of fighters to land and shine in the limelight
not so anymore………
not so for anything………
BrainSmasher says
That’s an interesting point. The UFC has increased prospects from Brazil and other nations and I feel are not grabbing as many is prospects. But you don’t see BFC creating anyone or finding prospects. They have been adobe for years now and all they really have to show for it is Chandler. Eddie was a star from Japan. Due to their tournaments and poor match making the rest of the guys just haven’t been consistent to make a name for themselves.
It’s just a very bad system. I have said for years it would t work and we are gradually seeing them realize it is causing problems and they are changing it piece by piece. They tried to devolve the sport 20 years and run the promotion like it was 1993. You can’t run a sport through tournaments.