Ortiz-headlined Bellator 131 breaks viewer records
Bellator 131, now firmly under the stewardship of Scott Coker, was a great success, with the Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar main event drawing 1.8 million viewers.
Bellator 131, now firmly under the stewardship of Scott Coker, was a tremendous success. The main event Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar coming serendipitously immediatelt after the UFC 180 main event ended in the second drew 1.8 million viewers, and peaked at 2 million. It was the most-watched MMA fight on American cable in 2014.
Overall the card earned 1,241,299 viewers, setting a new record for Bellator MMA on Spike.
Making the record all the more impressive, Bellator 131 was just one of three MMA shows Saturday night, with the UFC on FOX Sports 1 and pay per view, and the WSoF on NBC Sports. In a great day for the sport, rather than divide the market, each promotion saw larger than average viewership.
Bellator 131 was an incredible event that had something for everybody, and I’m thrilled to see our efforts were so well-received by our fans, said Coker. I’m very proud of our entire Bellator and Spike family for all of the hard work they put resulting in these record-breaking ratings. The most exciting thing for me is the knowledge that that we are just getting started, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store for the future.