Bellator 142: Dynamite! drew an average of 800,000 viewers on Spike TV this past Saturday night, peaking with an audience of 930,000.
For an average Bellator event that would have been a solid number, but for a show of this magnitude it’s undoubtedly got to be considered as something of a disappointment.
In many ways this was Belltor’s most ambitious show to date with both MMA and kickboxing bouts, a light-heavyweight title fight including former UFC star Tito Ortiz, and a four-man one-night 205lb tournament featuring well known fighters like Phil Davis, ‘King Mo’ and Emanuel Newton.
On paper it looked like an event with enough appeal for both hardcore and casual fans alike, but yet it just didn’t move the needle with the television audience on Saturday night.
This was the fourth so-called ‘Tentpole’ show from Bellator – essentially their attempt to offer something bigger and better than their average TV offering – and it’s ended up being the least watched one so far, falling far behind the last one at Bellator 138: Kimbo Vs Shamrock which average 1.6 million viewers, while even the previous low mark for the series, Bellator 134 which featured a number of the same fighters like Liam McGeary, Emanuel Newton, ‘King Mo’ and Paul Daley mustered 870,000 viewers.
It’s a puzzling outcome and perhaps the biggest letdown of Scott Coker’s Bellator tenure so far which is unfortunate as he does seem to be doing his best to provide a compelling alternative to their main rivals, UFC who are currently on a hot-streak thanks to the star power of fighters like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor.
