Ratings for the thirteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighter have been a disappointment. Many saw Dana White's ability to snag PPV monster Brock Lesnar to appear on the show as a major coup and a likely ratings bonanza. Instead, the show fell far below expectations, and fans have reacted negatively to the actual substance behind this season.
So, it's no surprise that the ratings have taken another dip this week. Data from TV by the Numbers:
Ep.ViewersHousehold18-4911.484M.9/1.8/221.188M.7/1.7/231.317M.9/1.8/241.296M.8/1.7/251.480M.9/1.7/261.212M.7/1.7/271.009M.7/1.5/1
In the Household and 18-49 columns, the first number is the rating and the second is the share. This site explains the difference.
This week's episode ran head-to-head with the Miami Heat's clinching game against the Boston Celtics and the beginning of Game 5 of the Memphis Grizzlies/Oklahoma City Thunder series. The show had run up against the NBA playoffs in the prior two weeks, though this round of games did bigger numbers. Basketball is only going to provide more pressure as we head into the conference finals this week.
In addition, the show now has to deal with its third occurrence of the built-up fight falling through in four seasons. Will fans, who are already frustrated by the timeslot, the coaches, and the subpar talent, tune out knowing that the promised bout will not come to fruition?
And what will this mean for UFC 131? I already began to have my doubts on what kind of buyrate Lesnar could pull with Junior dos Santos, who is unknown outside of the hardcore community, to the point that I wondered if the show would match Georges St. Pierre's recent success against Jake Shields and Josh Koscheck.