With no FOX or lead-in from an NFL game, the UFC 218 special that aired Christmas Eve on FOX Sports 1 failed to live up to the 2016 version.
According to a report by MMA Fighting, the 90-minute special was watched by 357,000 viewers, drastically down from the 4,720,000 that watched the UFC 206 special last year.
That airing, though, came on FOX and was watched directly after a marquee NFL contest. The NFL game last year did 15,541,000 viewers. The lead-in for the FS1 special was a tape of a 3-on-3 basketball game from earlier this year.
Both specials featured Max Holloway, as he won the interim featherweight title at UFC 206 vs. Anthony Pettis and defended the unified belt vs. Jose Aldo at UFC 218.
