UFC 234 Prelim Ratings Highest In Seven Years

If early indicators are true, the prelims for UFC 234 averaged the highest ratings since the UFC left Spike (now Paramount Network) in 2012.

Per Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting, the combined rating of ESPN and ESPN Deportes averaged a 1.0 in the overnight ratings of major markets.

That number is the highest overnight rating since UFC 205’s prelims from November 2016, featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov and Frankie Edgar in prelim fights, and a main card headlined by Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez, with a 1.1 overall rating for the night.

Many will attribute the lead-in of the NCAA Men’s basketball showdown between Duke vs. Virginia as a key factor, due to the opening fight of Teruto Ishihara and Kyung Ho Kang generating a 1.7 rating.

UFC 234’s Pay-Per-View card was headlined by Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya, after middleweight champion Robert Whittaker pulled out of his title defense against Kelvin Gastelum due to a hernia that required emergency surgery.

Initial Report: MMA Fighting