Bellator Fighting Championships' fifth season ratings roller coaster pressed on over the weekend, as viewership for Saturday's Bellator 54 broadcast rebounded from Bellator 53's all-time MTV-2 low. According to reports from MMA Junkie, the primetime event drew 185,000 viewers, up from the dejecting total of 103,000 the previous week. An immediate replay drew 116,000 viewers.
The jump in numbers can likely be attributed to a lack of direct competition. For the first time in a month, Bellator owned Saturday all to themselves, as the the UFC kicked-off their two-week break between shows. Though, it's quite possible that primetime college football still managed to syphon off some viewers.
Bellator 54 was held on October 15th at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and headlined by a pair of semifinal matchups for the season five middleweight tournament.
Ratings rankings of MTV2-televised Bellator shows:
Bellator 44: 325,000 viewers
Bellator 47: 277,000 viewers
Bellator 52: 269,000 viewers
Bellator 45: 264,000 viewers
Bellator 49: 235,000 viewers
Bellator 36: 230,000 viewers
Bellator 48: 226,000 viewers
Bellator 40: 218,000 viewers
Bellator 35: 200,000 viewers
Bellator 42: 199,000 viewers
Bellator 54: 185,000 viewers
Bellator 46: 185,000 viewers
Bellator 43: 182,000 viewers
Bellator 39: 174,000 viewers
Bellator 37: 173,000 viewers
Bellator 51: 158,000 viewers
Bellator 38: 150,000 viewers
Bellator 41: 132,000 viewers
Bellator 50: 114,000 viewers
Bellator 53: 103,000 viewers