The most high-profile “Boxing vs. UFC” battle to date will take place at next week’s UFC 118 when James Toney fights Randy Couture, but until then, boxing fans can rejoice over a ratings victory over mixed martial arts.
ESPN2’s “Wednesday Night Fights” broadcast topped a competing WEC airing on Versus, indicating that if the card’s profile is not high enough, mixed martial arts can still be defeated by a boxing event.
Neither, of course, was a ratings phenomenon, but the boxing special averaged 405,000 viewers compared to WEC 50’s 316,000. The adults 18-49 demo for WEC 50 was unavailable at press time; it was only a 0.1 for boxing.
Though the WEC card featured a Bantamweight title fight between Dominic Cruz and Joseph Benavidez, it lacked any of the promotion’s marquee stars and was thus not expected to deliver a strong rating. But while it is correct that the show had low ratings expectations and posted steady viewership from the preceding WEC 49, it is worth noting that WEC 50 scored the promotion’s lowest rating in more than two years.
Considering the consistently-rave reviews and increased media attention for WEC events, the fact that its viewership has not increased undoubtedly comes as a disappointment.
