Early Estimates Indicate High Ratings For UFC On Fox 2

Saturday night's UFC on Fox 2 broadcast drew a 2.7/5 household overnight rating, according to figures collected by MMA Nation.

The weekend rating was 42-perecent greater than Fox's Saturday night primetime average over the prior four weeks (a 1.9/4 clip). Early estimates have the figures easily claiming the Adults 18-49 demographic, and "may beat ABC, CBS and NBC combined in the Adults 18-34 demographic when national figures are issued tomorrow."

Somewhat surprisingly, ratings flourished as the telecast ventured into deeper waters, despite the generally unappealing nature of the fights. The night's opening bout, Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman, drew a 2.3/4 household overnight rating, which grew to a 2.9/5 for the co-main event, Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping.

Ratings peaked for the night's main event, posting a 3.4/6 mark as Rashad Evans dominated Phil Davis for 25 minutes to earn the next shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Notably, the broadcast drew a 4.1/8 in Las Vegas, 4.1/7 in Louisville, 3.9/7 in Indianapolis, and 3.9/6 in Greenville, Tulsa and Knoxville.

In addition, the two-hour event collected an estimated overnight rating of 4.37 million viewers, according to reports from TVBytheNumbers.com. Though, it should be noted that those numbers are expected to grow as reports are finalized.

The UFC's debut on Fox, November's UFC on Fox: Velaquez vs. Dos Santos, initially averaged an overnight rating of 4.64 million viewers, but ultimately reports shot the final number closer to 5.7 million.

MMA Nation will continue to update these figures as information is made available.