Holly Holm punches Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan in their women's bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the United Center on July 23, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo : Getty Images/ Zuffa LLC)
UFC on FOX 20 had a respectable night of success in terms of television ratings on Saturday evening where it earned 2.44 million in overnight ratings.
According to TV By The Numbers, the card averaged 2.44 million viewers in overnight ratings. The card, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, earned a .9 among adults 18-49, making it the most-viewed program that evening among television networks for the demographic.
For clarification, overnights measure the 8-10 p.m. time slot in the Eastern time zone, and its corresponding 7-9 p.m. in Central time zone and 6-8 p.m. in the Mountain time zone. However, it also measures 8-10 p.m. in the Pacific Time zone, and as a live sports event, the show aired starting at 5 p.m. on the west coast. This rating measures whatever programming the local FOX stations were airing from 8-10 p.m. and not the UFC.
The final numbers, which would be for the entire show nationwide, will be out on Monday or Tuesday. Numbers for this show could be expected to climb as the main event ended well past 10 p.m. ET.
These numbers are within the typical range of what UFC on FOX events earn, but mark an increase from UFC on FOX 19, which only pulled 2.13 million in overnights. UFC on FOX 16, which took place in July of 2015, claimed 2.29 million viewers in overnight ratings. That card also featured a bantamweight title fight, Mmafighting reported.
The UFC success comes at a time when Chael Sonnen is taking the steps that could lead to a UFC comeback.
Sonnen told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that he has been placed in the USADA drug-testing pool and, if he passes the screenings, could be eligible to return to the Octagon this year. Sonnen did not commit officially to a comeback, but there is a plan in place.
UFC on FOX 20 was headlined by a women's bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko. Shevchenko won the contest by unanimous decision.
Watch the MMA Hour: Episode 340 (w/Hunt, Sonnen, Pena, Khabib, Page and more) here:
