UFC on Fox 23 did not live up to expectations for viewers.
Ratings released on Sunday by Nielsen state that UFC on Fox 23 on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver pulled an average of 2.02 million viewers over the two hours it was broadcast. Headliner Valentina Shevchenko’s headline event vs Julianna Pena amassed 1.87 million viewers, for its first hour from 8 to 9 p.m. ET, and 2.16 million for its second hour from 9 to 10 p.m.
It was also confirmed that UFC on Fox 23 broadcast scored a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
Viewership numbers should rise when DVR +3 release adjusted ratings later this week, however. It is expected that the numbers will fail to love up to those of recent UFC events in January, with the added association of National Football League playoffs on Fox helping to drive the scores.
UFC on Fox 20 in July saw Shevchenko beat the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm. That particular broadcast averaged 2.45 million+ viewers prior to an escalated average of 2,975,000 viewers after DVR +3; this meant that the event peaked at over 4.68 million viewers for the main event, which dwarves last weekend’s event in comparison. Granted, that event did have former champion and Ronda Rousey career halter Holm on the card.
