'The Ultimate Fighter 3' Finale on Spike TV is the Most Watched Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) Event Ever

Doubles the Viewership of NASCAR Race on FX Head-To-Head Delivers More Men 18-49 and Men 18-34 Than Anything Else on Television in Timeslot

NEW YORK, June 27 -- The live finale of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 3 drew 2.8 million viewers on Saturday, June 24 (9:00 PM - 12 Midnight) making it the most watched UFC event in history. The card was the highest rated Spike original telecast in the network's history in Men 18-49 with a 2.85 rating.

The viewership peaked with 3.4 million and a 4.51 rating in Men 18-34 at 10:15 PM for the thrilling three-round, middleweight war between Kendall Grove and Ed Herman. The Spike TV finale easily outdrew NASCAR's Dodge/ Save Mart 350 on FX which garnered 1.4 million viewers.

Overall, The Ultimate Fighter 3 finale tallied a 2.04 household rating, with a 2.85 in M18-49 (1,493,000 viewers), a 3.81 in M18-34 (1,000,000 viewers) and an average audience of 2.8 million viewers. Spike TV delivered more M18-49 and M18-34 in the time period than any other channel, broadcast or cable.

"You can't get more action than the thrilling conclusion to another fantastic season of The Ultimate Fighter," said Kevin Kay, General Manager, Spike TV.

"We have reached the point when guys across the country say -- 'Did you catch the fight last night?' -- and they are referring to a UFC fight," said Dana White, UFC President.

In what is the frontrunner for the 2006 UFC fight of the year, Hawaii's Kendall "Spider" Grove scored a unanimous 29-28 decision over Portland, Oregon's Ed "Short Fuse" Herman following three rounds of nonstop, breathtaking action in the Octagon. Grove secured the middleweight Ultimate Fighter crown and a six-figure contract with the UFC.

In the light heavyweight title bout, England's Michael "The Count" Bisping scored a second round victory against a determined Josh Haynes from Medford, Ore to also secure a six-figure contract.

In the main event, Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian scored a dominating first round victory over Canadian Sam Stout. The night's first televised bout had Keith Jardine winning a three-round decision over Wilson Gouveia.

Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com