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TUF Live and Primetime ratings, UFC on FUEL TV 3 Salaries, veteran retires, and more

Submitted by Ment on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 00:11

The latest on TUF, ratings.

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Check out our video interview with former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal.

--The Ultimate Fighter: Live on FX , Episode 11 drew an all-time low 821,000 viewers last Friday night. So much for Urijah Faber's new opponent announcement moving the needle.

There's no way of positively spinning that number, as this season has been the lowest rating of all 15 TUF incarnations. With fans getting adjusted to the move from Spike to FX, as well as the bad Fri. night, 10pm/ET time slot for the UFC's key demographic (18-34), on top of the lack of engaging personalities this season--it's safe to say this has been a major disappointment. 

Luckily, UFC president Dana White realizes this and mentioned a couple weeks ago that they will look into tweaking the series. Moving the show off of Fri. nights would be a great start.

This season has averaged a little over a million viewers compared to the 1.7 million viewers the UFC averaged with TUF's first 14 seasons on Spike.

--UFC Primetime: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir, Episode 2 drew 544,000 viewers on FX with an Ultimate Fighter lead-in. Episode 1 drew 540,000 viewers. The show takes an in-depth look at heavyweight champion dos Santos and challenger Mie before their main event showdown at UFC 146, this Saturday night on pay-per-view. 

--Former Ultimate Fighter James Wilks announced his retirement from mixed martial arts last week, due to career ending neck/back injuries that could lead to paralysis if he continued fighting. Wilks will now focus on training other fighters.

--Keep in mind, unless listed, these salaries from UFC on FUEL TV 3 is base pay and does not include bonuses or sponsorship money.

UFC on FUEL TV 3 Salaries - May 15, 2012

  • Francisco Rivera $12,000
  • Alex Soto $6,000
  • Johnny Eduardo $12,000
  • Jeff Curran $6,000
  • Rafael dos Anjos $32,000
  • Kamal Shalorus $11,000
  • T.J. Grant $30,000
  • Carlo Prater: $10,000
  • Cody McKenzie $20,000
  • Marcus LeVesseur $6,000
  • Brad Tavares $20,000
  • Dongi Yang $12,000
  • Tom Lawlor $64,000 (includes KO of Night bonus)
  • Jason MacDonald $19,000
  • Igor Pokrajac $34,000
  • Fabio Maldonado $11,000
  • Yves Jabouin $20,000
  • Jeff Hougland $8,000
  • Donald Cerrone $60,000
  • Jeremy Stephens $24,000
  • Amir Sadollah $48,000
  • Jorge Lopez $6,000
  • Chan Sung Jung $114,000 (includes Submission/Fight of The Night bonuses)
  • Dustin Poirier $54,000 (includes Fight of The Night bonus).

--First TUF, then TUF Brazil, now the UFC will have a season pitting UK fighters against Australian fighters with another international season

--UFC® ANNOUNCES THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER AUSTRALIA VS UK - ‘THE SMASHES’™ TV SERIES

AUSTRALIA TO TAKE ON THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL EDITION OF THE UFC’s REALITY TV PROGRAM

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN TO PROSPECTIVE FIGHTERS

London, UK - The Ultimate Fighting Championship® has confirmed it will film an Australian edition of its hit reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter® (‘TUF’), giving Aussie and British mixed martial artists the opportunity to secure a lucrative contract with the world’s preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.