2.5 Million MMA Fever Fanatics Watched TUF 6 Finale

I guess you didn't realize that MMA Fever has spread like Chlamydia throughout the world, didn't you? Well, it sure has and unlike Chlamydia, there is no cure for MMA Fever except more mixed martial arts action and that's exactly what the 2.5 million folks got... ACTION!

That's a very impressive number given that the TUF 6 ratings were on the decline and the headlining bout was a couple of no-named Lightweights to the general public unlike the most watched Spike TV event, Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock(ed) III that drew over 4 million viewers.

Here are the results I received from a recent UFC press release:

“THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®: TEAM HUGHES VS. TEAM SERRA” FINALE DELIVERS 2.5 MILLION VIEWERS

Draws More Men 18-34, 18-49, and 25-34 Than Anything Else on Television in its Timeslot

NEW YORK, NY, December 11, 2007 - Spike TV’s live telecast of “The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” finale on Saturday, December 8 (9:00-12:12am) drew 2.5 million viewers and reached more men in the hard-to-reach demographics of 18-34, 18-49, and 25-34 than anything else on television (broadcast or cable) in its timeslot. The telecast peaked with an impressive 2.9 million viewers at 11:30pm despite head-to-head competition from the Mayweather-Hatton pay-per-view boxing event.

Based on the ratings, more young men preferred the epic battle between UFC® fighters Roger Huerta and Clay Guida to Russell Crowe’s epic battles in “Gladiator” on TNT or the incredible athleticism of “The Ultimate Fighter” victor Mac Danzig to Keanu Reeves as Neo in the “Matrix” on A@E on Saturday night.

Overall, the three-hour Spike TV telecast drew a 1.8 HH (1.7 million) rating with a 2.7 rating (769,000) rating with Men 18-34, a 2.8 rating (471,000) with Men 25-34, and a 2.2 rating (1.2 million) with Men 18-49 and 2.5 million viewers.

Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” finale at The Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas was headlined by a war between Roger Huerta and Clay Guida that will surely be one of the top candidates for “Fight of the Year.” After being dominated by Guida’s relentless style both on their feet and on the ground for the first ten minutes of the bout, Huerta stormed at his opponent at the outset of the final round and unleashed a torrent of strikes that sent Guida to the mat. There, he was able to submit Guida via rear naked choke 51 seconds into the third round, and remain unbeaten in the UFC.

Conversely, the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” was a mostly one sided affair, with Mac Danzig making quick work of Tommy Speer, technique overcoming strength as Danzig was able to gain his opponent’s back and submit him via rear naked choke two minutes into the first round of their matchup. Danzig announced his plans to move down to the lightweight division after having his hand raised in the middle of the Octagon™ and being awarded a guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC.

The highlight of the night’s undercard action featured another contender for “Fight of the Year,” a three round, seesaw affair between Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver and Jared “J-Roc” Rollins. Both fighters left it all in the Octagon, trading strikes on their feet and going back and forth on the ground as each utilized a ground and pound attack. Two minutes into the final round, after Rollins seemed to have the fight won after rocking his opponent on the mat, Koppenhaver reversed position and rained down a series of blows which caused referee Steve Mazzagatti to halt the action. With both men bloodied and bruised, it was Koppenhaver who had his hand raised in victory to the thunderous applause of those in attendance.

I provided a recap of the TUF 6 Finale for you here so please check it out and comment on it over there, please!.