UFC 261 Prelims drew 951,000 viewers on Saturday night per Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily. It drew 465,000 in the A18-49 demo. The early Prelims which appeared on ESPN2 drew 616,000 viewers and 290,000 in the A18-49 demo.
The UFC 261 Prelims saw Randy Brown submit Alex Oliveira in the very first round of the featured bout at the VyStar Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The Early Prelims featured Danaa Batgerel stopping Kevin Natividad in a battle of bantamweights.
The Prelims on ESPN was the top-rated cable telecast on Saturday night. It drew 0.36 in the A18-49 demo, 0.18 in F18-49, 0.54 in M18-49, 0.34 in A18-34, 0.14 in F12-34, 0.40 in M12-34, 0.41 in A25-54 and 0.36 in over 50.
The Early Prelims drew 0.22 in A18-49, 0.13 in F18-49, 0.32 in M18-49, 0.20 in A18-34, 0.08 in F12-34, 0.27 in M12-34, 0.26 in A25-54 and 0.25 in the over 50 category.
Payout Perspective:
The ratings reflect the drawing power of the UFC on ESPN. The main prelims outdrew two NBA regular season games on ESPN earlier in the day. With the promotion of the PPV, fans seem to have gravitated toward the Prelims on Saturday. It also helped with Top Rank Boxing as it finished in the top 5 in cable just ahead of the UFC early prelims.
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