Tag: UFC Philadelphia

March Madness Leads To Lower Ratings For UFC Philadelphia

The NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament led to lower ESPN ratings than usual for UFC Philadelphia. Ever since UFC programming has been on ESPN, their ratings have seen a significant boost. The second UFC Fight Night main card on ESPN did not share the same fortunes, however. The card from the Wells Fargo Arena […]

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The NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament led to lower ESPN ratings than usual for UFC Philadelphia.

Ever since UFC programming has been on ESPN, their ratings have seen a significant boost. The second UFC Fight Night main card on ESPN did not share the same fortunes, however.

The card from the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia averaged 828,000 viewers for the main card. It’s fair to point out that the card aired a bit earlier than the “norm”. Regardless, when compared to the 1,463,000 viewers for the show headlined by Cain Velasquez vs. Francis Ngannou on Feb. 17, it falls short.

The main event featuring Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza did draw respectable numbers, peaking at 1.4 million viewers. Had the fight gone longer than half of one round, it is likely that number would’ve increased.

The prelim headliner saw Marina Rodriguez take a decision win over Jessica Aguilar. That fight averaged 480,000 viewers from 5-7 p.m. Eastern.

The obvious reason for the lack of viewership has to be the NCAA basketball tournament on TBS. The tourney drew 7,722,000 viewers for Texas Tech vs. Gonzaga, and then Purdue and Virginia took center court at 8:45 p.m. with 10,486,000 viewers.

By comparison, Bellator 219 on Friday night (March 5, 2019) had 307,000 viewers on Paramount network.

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Manager Claims Eye Poke Dictated Result Of Gaethje vs. Barboza

Justin Gaethje put on a thunderous performance against Edson Barboza at UFC Philadelphia over the weekend (Sat. March 30, 2019). Gaethje caught the Brazilian striker with a wild overhand as he was backing away. The blow rendered Barboza – the owner of arguably the greatest knockout win in UFC history – unconscious in the first […]

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Justin Gaethje put on a thunderous performance against Edson Barboza at UFC Philadelphia over the weekend (Sat. March 30, 2019).

Gaethje caught the Brazilian striker with a wild overhand as he was backing away. The blow rendered Barboza – the owner of arguably the greatest knockout win in UFC history – unconscious in the first round. However, just prior to the knockout, Barboza’s eye was noticeably bothering him.

His manager, Alex Davis, took to Twitter to share a photo of the eye poke, claiming it dictated the way the fight played out:

“Not meaning to make excuses, but this did dictate the fight.”

Coach Agrees As Well

Another member of the Barboza team, his Muay Thai coach, Anderson Franca, had some comments on the situation via his Instagram:

“I really think that this fight would be one of the best fight of the year. [Justin Gaethje] is an excellent fighter, he is certainly among the best in the world.

“We have a lot of respect for him and his team, I do not know if the result would be another or not, but I believe that the fight would have been much longer if there was no such incident. We appreciate the affection of all, I can guarantee that we [dedicate] 100 percent to represent our country. Big hug to all.”

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Michael Johnson Tips Hat To Josh Emmett Following KO Loss

Following his knock out loss at UFC Philadelphia, Michael Johnson took to social media to congratulate Josh Emmett and address his fans. Johnson looked good throughout the fight, right up until the point when Emmett connected with a monstrous right hand late in the third round. All things considered, “The Menace” is in good spirits […]

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Following his knock out loss at UFC Philadelphia, Michael Johnson took to social media to congratulate Josh Emmett and address his fans.

Johnson looked good throughout the fight, right up until the point when Emmett connected with a monstrous right hand late in the third round.

All things considered, “The Menace” is in good spirits following the setback. He took to Instagram following his fight to tip his hat to Emmett and address his fans.

“Great fight and hats off to [Josh Emmett]. I’ve slipped and fell in the game several times, and I’m always back on feet. See ya guys soon. “

As Johnson alluded to, he has had his fair share of setbacks in the UFC. This, however, was Johnson’s chance to finally crack the featherweight rankings as Emmett was ranked No. 10.

The loss will snap his two-fight winning streak. Johnson has gone a subpar 3-4 since losing to Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 17 back in December of 2015.

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Michelle Waterson Explains Why She Should Challenge For UFC Strawweight Title Next

Michelle Waterson had a tremendous performance at UFC Philadelphia over the weekend (Sat. March 30, 2019). “The Karate Hottie” defeated former 115-pound title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz. After her victory, Waterson called for the winn…

Michelle Waterson had a tremendous performance at UFC Philadelphia over the weekend (Sat. March 30, 2019). “The Karate Hottie” defeated former 115-pound title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz. After her victory, Waterson called for the winner of champion Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade at UFC 237 in Brazil. On the ESPN+ post-fight show, Waterson doubled down on […]

The post Michelle Waterson Explains Why She Should Challenge For UFC Strawweight Title Next appeared first on MMA News.

Five Potential Opponents For Justin Gaethje’s Next Fight

On Saturday night, Justin Gaethje picked up the biggest win of his MMA career to date when he brutally knocked out top-ranked lightweight Edson Barboza in the first round with a right hook. Gaethje improved to 3-2 overall in the UFC with the win, and h…

On Saturday night, Justin Gaethje picked up the biggest win of his MMA career to date when he brutally knocked out top-ranked lightweight Edson Barboza in the first round with a right hook. Gaethje improved to 3-2 overall in the UFC with the win, and he’s now riding a two-fight win streak with back-to-back knockout […]

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Michael Johnson Opens Up On UFC Philadelphia KO Loss

Michael Johnson has released a brief statement following his UFC on ESPN 2 defeat. This past Saturday night (March 30), Johnson went one-on-one with Josh Emmett. The two clashed on the main card of UFC on ESPN 2. It all went down inside the Wells Fargo…

Michael Johnson has released a brief statement following his UFC on ESPN 2 defeat. This past Saturday night (March 30), Johnson went one-on-one with Josh Emmett. The two clashed on the main card of UFC on ESPN 2. It all went down inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Johnson was knocked out cold […]

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