Its format might resemble that of NBC’s “The Voice,” but its ratings are nothing like those of the NBC juggernaut.
“Fight Master: Bellator MMA,” Spike TV’s alternative to UFC reality series “The Ultimate Fighter,” stumbled out of the gate Wednesday, delivering a mere 0.2 adults 18-49 rating and 432,000 viewers.
Critics gave strong reviews to the series, which, like ‘The Voice,” allows its competitors to ultimately choose their coaches–in this case, from a panel of Joe Warren, Greg Jackson, Randy Couture and Frank Shamrock. Unfortunately, that buzz did not translate into ratings, as Wednesday’s performance is not even in the ballpark of what “The Ultimate Fighter” delivered during its lengthy stint on Spike.
The debut episode was preceded by a two-hour Bellator fight card, which, despite featuring headliner Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, provided little in the way of lead-in support. The two-hour card, which also included fights from controversial “Ultimate Fighter” alumnus War Machine and MMA veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral, delivered just a 0.2 rating with 480,000 viewers.
Blame, to a certain extent, can be placed on the well-rated Stanley Cup game, but with ratings this low, it is highly unlikely “Fight Master” will emerge as a hit once NHL action is out of the way.
