Author: Fuel TV

LOS ANGELES, CA – FUEL TV (www.fuel.tv) presents the U.S. television debut of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil®, as the 13-episode series officially premieres on FUEL TV on Sunday, June 10 (10:00 PM ET).

The first international edition of the long-running Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) reality TV series features UFC veterans Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, coaching 16 of the best up-and-coming featherweight (145 lbs) and middleweight (185 lbs) fighters from Brazil, with two lucrative UFC contracts on the line.

“I am pumped that FUEL TV is going to air season 1 of TUF Brazil! The fights are awesome and it shows how deep the talent pool is in Brazil,” says UFC President Dana White. “As we continue to grow globally, not just the UFC but The Ultimate Fighter too, we will have so much more content that I know U.S. fans will love to get their hands on.”

“We’re excited to bring the first international edition of the very popular TUF series to U.S. television audiences,” says George Greenberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager, FUEL TV. “While the series has been available to fans domestically online, the reach television provides will help broaden the audience and strengthen the franchise. Our sneak peak last Saturday posted a strong rating and helped push FUEL TV to its third most-watched day ever.”

The premiere episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil showcases the elimination bouts, narrowing down the initial group of 32 hopefuls to the final 16 who will move into the TUF house. From there, they will be split between “Team Vitor” and “Team Wanderlei” and face weekly elimination fights until the finale, where a winner from both weight classes will be declared The Ultimate Fighter® and win an international UFC contract.

Coaches Belfort and Silva have a long-standing rivalry – they fought more than 13 years ago at UFC Brazil on October 16, 1998. Belfort won that night via first round TKO, and the two have since gone on to greatness, with Belfort winning the UFC Light Heavyweight title and Silva reigning as the PRIDE Middleweight champion for five years in Japan.

Throughout the season, there are special appearances by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

TUF series is the longest running unscripted competition series on cable, and launched the careers of UFC standouts like Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans and Nate Diaz.

Last season’s featherweight winner, Diego Brandão, was the first Brazilian to win the show. Other Brazilian fighters have appeared on previous editions, including heavyweight icons Rodrigo “Minotauro” and dos Santos, who have both served as coaches on the show.

TUF Brazil premiered in Brazil on March 25 on Globo TV, and makes its U.S. television premiere on FUEL TV Sunday, June 10 (10:00 PM ET).
In 2012, FUEL TV offers more UFC programming than any network has ever offered, including more than 100 hours of live fights, weigh-ins, preliminary bouts, and pre- and postfight shows.

For a complete listing of FUEL TV shows, go to: http://www.fuel.tv/schedule/. For more information, go to www.fuel.tv, www.fuel.tv/ufc, on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/fueltv, and on Twitter at: @fueltv, #UFConFUELTV

To find out FUEL TV on your television, go to www.fuel.tv/getfueltv, or call 877-4 FUEL-TV.

LOS ANGELES, CA – “THE ULIMATE FIGHTER FINALE LIVE” Prelims kicked up FUEL TV’s ratings on Friday, June 1. The night’s undercards delivered record-setting numbers as the network (www.fuel.tv) recorded its most-watched Friday prime time, its second most-watched Friday, and its fourth most-watched show in history, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research.

The action-filled, two-hour program, which featured four live bouts, was the fifth UFC Prelims telecast on FUEL TV in 2012.

FUEL TV Audience Highlights Friday, June 1, 2012:
• “UFC Prelims on FUEL TV” had 165,000 Total Viewers and 84,000 M18–49 Viewers, ranking as the network’s most-watched UFC Prelims to date;
• Second most-watched Friday and most-watched Friday prime time in network history;
• UFC Prelims on FUEL TV was fourth most-watched program of all time, behind the three UFC Fight Nights;
• UFC Prelims on FUEL TV peaked from 8:30 – 8:45 PM ET with 241,000 Total Viewers

Extensive UFC coverage continues in the month of June, with FUEL TV telecasting the live Weigh-ins, Prelims and Postfight shows for UFC ON FX: JOHNSON VS. MCCALL Friday, June 8; and UFC ON FX: MAYNARD VS. GUIDA on Friday, June 22. FUEL TV also broadcasts the live Weigh-in and Postfight shows for UFC 147: SILVA VS. FRANKLIN II on Saturday, June 23.

In addition, FUEL TV premieres “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” to U.S. television audiences Sunday, June 10. In 2012, FUEL TV telecasts more UFC programming than any network has ever offered.

For a complete listing of FUEL TV shows, go to: http://www.fuel.tv/schedule/. For more information, go to www.fuel.tv, www.fuel.tv/ufc, on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/fueltv, and on Twitter at: @fueltv, #UFConFUELTV

To find out FUEL TV on your television, go to www.fuel.tv/getfueltv, or call 877-4 FUEL-TV.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The incredible ratings growth continues at FUEL TV. FOX Sports Media Group’s dynamic sports network for males was television’s fastest-growing cable network in May and for 2012, according to Nielsen Media Research.

FUEL TV recorded the largest year-to-year percentage increases in prime time and total day last month (compared to May 2011) and through the first five months of this year (compared to Jan. – May 2011) in its target audience of M18-49, total viewers and households, among all rated, ad-supported cable networks in the U.S..

The viewership growth in May was powered by 360 hours of Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) programming on FUEL TV, anchored by a live bout on May 15 that delivered the network its most-watched Tuesday and third most-watched show in its history. The 360 hours of UFC programming last month edges out the previous record of 340 hours in April.

FUEL TV May 2012 Audience Highlights:
• May 2012 was up +171% in Total Viewers and +200% in M18-49 vs. May 2011;
• Prime time viewership grew +280% on Total Viewers and +220% among M18-49 compared to May 2011;
• UFC on FUEL TV Fight Night on May 15 (UFC ON FUEL TV: THE KOREAN ZOMBIE VS. DUSTIN POIRIER) delivered the third most-watched program in FUEL TV history;
• The show peaked at 217,000 Total Viewers from 9:30pm ET – 9:45pm ET;
•  May 15 was the most-watched Tuesday ever in network history;
• May 2012 was the network’s second most-watched month ever, behind February 2012;
• For the first five months of 2012, prime time viewership is averaging an increase of +218% over 2011;
• Since January 1, the network’s total day viewership is up +125% compared to 2011;

“UFC events and programming make for compelling television, which is clearly driving viewers to FUEL TV in record numbers, and it’s great to see,” says George Greenberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager, FUEL TV. “I have no doubt that FUEL TV will continue to see this type of growth for the rest of the year.”
Extensive UFC coverage continues in the month of June, with FUEL TV telecasting the live Weigh-ins, Prelims and Postfight shows for UFC ON FX: JOHNSON VS. MCCALL Friday, June 8; and UFC ON FX: MAYNARD VS. GUIDA on Friday, June 22. FUEL TV also broadcasts the live Weigh-in and Postfight shows for UFC 147: SILVA VS. FRANKLIN II on Saturday, June 23. In addition, FUEL TV premieres “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” to U.S. television audiences Sunday, June 10.

In 2012, FUEL TV telecasts more than 2,000 hours of UFC programming, with more than 100 hours of live fights, weigh-ins, preliminary bouts, and pre- and postfight shows. In this year, FUEL TV offers more UFC programming than any network has ever offered. Below are the April ’12 vs. April ’11 ratings comparisons:

For a complete listing of FUEL TV shows, go to: http://www.fuel.tv/schedule/. For more information, go to www.fuel.tv, www.fuel.tv/ufc, on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/fueltv, and on Twitter at: @fueltv, #UFConFUELTV

To find out FUEL TV on your television, go to www.fuel.tv/getfueltv, or call 877-4 FUEL-TV.