UFC Prelims Back in 2011

Category: MMA UFC

Written on November 18, 2010 by John Paul Vill

"We'll get that figured out. I love having the prelims on Spike TV... it's cool to give people some free fights and then have them bounce over (to the PPVs). It's all about showcasing as many guys as possible." ---Dana White, UFC President

After the full year of success from the UFC Prelims broadcasts, the preliminary showdown goes back in 2011. The program is a one-hour special on Spike TV that features preliminary card fights and moves on to the PPV main-event.

Accroding to UFC President, Dana White, he expects the prelims to be back by next year. However, both the promotion and network have found the Prelims beneficiary. For one, UFC gets a last minute push over for PPV buys and Spike increases on ratings on primetime.

“We’ll get that figured out,” White said. “I love having the prelims on Spike TV. … It’s cool to give people some free fights and then have them bounce over (to the PPVs).

“It’s all about showcasing as many guys as possible.”

As of the moment, Spike TV has aired 12 UFC Prelims in all. The February broadcast of UFC 109 set the record of 1.7 million viewers.

The UFC first offered a PPV broadcast way back UFC 103 in 2009, when UFC went head-to-head with a boxing PPV broadcast featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. The specials has proven effectiveness in generating last-minute PPV buys that officials from the UFC and the organization’s longtime cable partner decided to make them a regular offering.

The next and final one for the year 2010 is scheduled for this Saturday’s UFC 123 event with Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster and Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson. And if the deal is sealed, an early-2011 card – UFC 125 – already boasts broadcast-worthy fights (such as Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera, Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens and Mike Brown vs. Diego Nunes, for example) currently stuck in untelevised preliminary-card spots.