The Ultimate Fighter Premiere Delivers Best Viewership Since Fall 2013 on FS1

The outspoken UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor, UFC legend Urijah Faber and 16 exciting fights propelled the two-hour premiere of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM MCGREGOR VS. TEAM FABER to its most-watched season debut on FS1 since the fall of 2013 (THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM ROUSEY VS. TEAM TATE – season 18).                                                                                                

A peak audience of 745,000 viewers watched the season 22 premiere Wednesday night. The show posted an average of 622,000 viewers over the first airing (10:00 PM ET – Midnight ET), while an additional 66,000 viewers watched an encore airing later in the evening (1:00 AM ET – 3:00 AM ET). THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER was FS1’s most-watched show on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s premiere viewership is up +27% over THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: AMERICAN TOP TEAM VS. BLACKZILIANS season 21 launch on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 (622,000 vs. 490,000 viewers) and is +16% above THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: A CHAMPION WILL BE CROWNED season 20 debut on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 (622,000 vs. 536,000).

This season’s THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM MCGREGOR VS. TEAM FABER continues with 11 more episodes airing Wednesdays (10:00 PM ET) on FS1. The season finale takes place on FS1 on Friday, December 11, headlined by former lightweight champion and current second-ranked featherweight Frankie Edgar taking on Faber teammate, No. 3 Chad Mendes.

–FOX SPORTS–