The Ultimate Fighting Championship has decided to move back the start times of their pay-per-view events to 10 PM EST (7PM PST) and will begin doing so with their upcoming UFC 141 event this December.
News of the change was posted by Sergio Non of USATuday.com on Tuesday night who confirmed with the promotion, noting that the change was made after “careful consideration and feedback from our fans.”
The promotion had moved the start times forward by an hour to 9PM EST earlier this year, making it easier for fans on the East Coast to catch events but early for those on the West Coast.
According to the Wrestling Observer, the decision may be based on their estimate that there has been a downturn in pay-per-view buyrates for UFC events in 2011, which according to them have dropped by approx. 25%.
I myself, enjoyed the 9PM EST start times and with the UFC looking at increasing the number of shows in 2012 I’m not sure how many Saturday nights I’m willing to sacrifice but I guess we’ll see.