I feel like the words “low ratings” and “Fox Sports 1” are all intertwined at this point for the UFC, as the UFC is without a doubt the breadwinner for the fledgling cable sports network, but even then it can’t save the lesser UFC events from the doldrums of low ratings. UFC Fight Night 35 from last Wednesday saw the second lowest ratings for a UFC event on cable, with the first still being UFC Fight Night 28 with Ryan Bader vs. Glover Teixeira. It was quickly followed by the debut of The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia which then saw staggeringly low ratings.
According to MMAPayout UFC Fight Night 35 scored 629,000 viewers while TUF: Nations kept 371,000 of those viewers for the alarmingly-dated reality television series. Fox isn’t upset about these ratings and have started looking at DVR ratings as well as overnights, but the cold, hard truth here is that Fox Sports 1 is a terrible network for the UFC to be on and that the UFC needs to bolster its offerings if it hopes to stop losing its audience. [source]