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Despite a controversial main event, Bellator Fighting Championships' electrifying fifth season ended on a high note.
According to figures collected by MMA Nation, Bellator 59 drew approximately 265,000 viewers, fifth most in Bellator history. An immediate replay of the card drew 136,000 viewers.
Altogether, the fifth season averaged over 186,000 viewers per show and collected three of the top five ratings totals of the Bellator-MTV2 partnership, despite facing stiff competition from UFC events and college football.
Bellator 59 was held on November 26th at Ceasars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Eduardo Dantas defeated Alexis Vila to claim the season-five bantamweight tournament title in the night's co-main event. Heavyweight finalists Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos fought to a no contest in the headlining bout.
MTV2 broadcasted Bellator rankings:
Bellator 44: 325,000 viewers
Bellator 47: 277,000
Bellator 58: 269,000
Bellator 52: 269,000
Bellator 59: 265,000
Bellator 45: 264,000
Bellator 49: 235,000
Bellator 36: 230,000
Bellator 48: 226,000
Bellator 40: 218,000
Bellator 35: 200,000
Bellator 42: 199,000
Bellator 54: 185,000
Bellator 46: 185,000
Bellator 43: 182,000
Bellator 39: 174,000
Bellator 37: 173,000
Bellator 55: 168,000
Bellator 51: 158,000
Bellator 56: 154,000
Bellator 38: 150,000
Bellator 57: 129,000
Bellator 41: 132,000
Bellator 50: 114,000
Bellator 53: 103,000