This past weekend, MMA fans were treated to the UFC 236 card, which featured Dustin Poirier and Israel Adesanya winning interim titles in their respective weight classes.
A four fight preliminary card aired live on ESPN and according to MMA Fighting, would bring an average of 893,000 viewers. The four fights on that preliminary card saw Matt Frevola defeat Jalin Turner, Alexandre Pantoja defeat Wilson Reis, Max Griffin defeat Zelim Imadaev and Khalid Taha defeat Boston Salmon.
There was a strong lead in to the card with an NBA Playoff game that aired before the event, which brought in over a million viewers. Competition was strong on Saturday Night as well, with a combination of NBA Playoff games and NHL Playoff games, plus a Nascar race grabbing viewers as well.
The UFC still won the 18-49 male demographic on Saturday Night and the teenage viewing audience was reportedly high as well. The show placed second overall on Saturday Night, only being defeated by a made for TV movie that aired on the Hallmark Channel.
Up next for the UFC is UFC Fight Night St. Petersburg and the whole event streams live on ESPN+, with Alistair Overeem and Aleksei Oleinik in the main event spot.
