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What's the story?
UFC's most recent offering, UFC on ESPN 5 ended up being quite an entertaining event from top to bottom. However, the event drew the least viewers amongst the other shows that have been held as part of the UFC on ESPN section of shows.
The main card of UFC on ESPN 5 averaged 680k viewers while the prelims drew 523k. There were comparatively fewer eyes on the show as it was held on an afternoon, which is unlike most UFC shows which are billed as fight nights.
In case you didn't know...
Colby Covington headlined the event in a Welterweight clash against Robbie Lawler while the co-main event saw UFC veterans Jim Miller and Clay Guida slug it in a fight ten years in the making.
The usually controversial Covington put on a clinic in the main event in his one-sided victory over the former Welterweight Champion. In the penultimate bout of the night, Jim Miller survived an early scare to finish off Guida with a guillotine choke in the 58th second of the first round.
The rest of the card featured up-and-coming prospects from various weight classes. Tristar Gym pupil Nasrat Haqparast had the legendary Georges St-Pierre in his corner when he scored an eye-catching knockout victory against Joaquim Silva. Interestingly enough, the event also had representatives from the White House in attendance as Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were present to support Covington. For a card that seemed lackluster on paper in the build-up, the action and other contributing factors made it a satisfying watch overall.
The heart of the matter
As stated earlier, the main card drew 680k viewers on an average while the prelims roped in 523k. The figure peaked to 945k for the main event.
Here's how UFC on ESPN 5 fares in comparison to previous events:
- UFC on ESPN 1
Main Card: 1.463M, Prelims: 988K
- UFC on ESPN 2
Main Card: 828K, Prelims: 480K
- UFC on ESPN 3
Main Card: 1.091M, Prelims: 543K
- UFC on ESPN 4
Main Card: 957K, Prelims: 548K
- UFC on ESPN 5
Main Card: 680K, Prelims: 523K:
Even though UFC on ESPN 5 ended up being the lowest drawing show in the series, the prelim figures were on par with the past two editions. These are decent numbers considering it was an afternoon show and had a strong audience from the 18-49 demographic.
What's next?
UFC's next event - Fight Night 156 - will take place on August 11th at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay. The main event of the card will feature Valentina Shevchenko defend her Flyweight title against Liz Carmouche.
