Viewership numbers for the main card of UFC Chile have been released and they aren’t half bad.
The FOX Sports 1 main card broadcast drew an average of 870,000 viewers (via MMAFighting.com). The event peaked at 1,143,000 viewers for the opening main card bout between Vicente Luque and Chad Laprise. It also took in 9,473 viewers from FOX Sports Go and FOX now. This card was going up against an NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game produced a viewership number of 6,827,000 viewers.
In the main event of UFC Chile, welterweights Kamaru Usman and Demian Maia did battle inside the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Usman was able to get things going in the second round and never looked back. Maia attempted to take Usman down to work his magic on the ground, but it never worked out. Usman stood his ground and even dropped Maia in the fourth round. “The Nigerian Nightmare” won the fight via unanimous decision. Maia is now 0-49 in takedown attempts for his last three fights.
The co-main event delivered strawweight action. Tatiana Suarez and Alexa Grasso went toe-to-toe. Both 155-pounders were considered prospect going into the bout. More people seemed to value Suarez’s upside due to her wrestling background and Grasso’s questionable performances against Felice Herrig and Randa Markos. Those who backed Suarez weren’t disappointed as she earned a submission victory via rear-naked choke inside three minutes.
As mentioned earlier, Luque and Laprise traded leather. Luque starched Laprise in the first round. Light heavyweight prospect Dominick Reyes also made short work of Jared Cannonier. A couple of devastating uppercuts saw Cannonier meet his demise. Andrea Lee earned a “Fight of the Night” bonus along with her opponent Veronica Macedo. Lee took home the unanimous decision in her UFC debut.
Check out MMANews.com for the event’s results, highlights, interviews, and more.
Are you surprised with the viewership number for UFC Chile holding steady despite a lack of star power?
