For First Time in TV History, Combate Global Knocks Out the UFC Competition

USA - English

• USA - español

NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Combate Global today announced record ratings with this past Sunday's late-night tentpole event on Univision, toppling the primetime delivery of longtime Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) industry leader, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), one day earlier.

The ratings performance marks the first time in history that another MMA organization achieved superior television ratings over the same weekend to the UFC on ESPN.

In a midnight ET/9 p.m. PT time slot on August 1, Combate Global's tentpole event averaged 946,000 P2+ viewers on Univision, including 464,000 viewers in the coveted A1849 demographic. 

By comparison, the UFC averaged 797,000 P2+ viewers, including 329,000 A1849 viewers, in primetime on ESPN on July 31.

"As the co-founder of the UFC, it is an honor and an incredible feeling to be on par with the industry juggernaut that the UFC has become over the last 28 years," said Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren.  "Now, with Univision in our corner, we are firmly positioned to continue building this brand-new MMA audience that we have uncovered through their platforms."

The Combate Global viewership figure for its latest tentpole event represents an increase of over 77 percent from the average number of viewers (533,000) that watched its previous tentpole show on May 29. 

The company will produce two additional tentpole events in 2021, as well as 15 more of its regular Friday late-night live events.

Combate Global's average 2021 viewership for its Friday night events that air live in a 12 a.m. ET time slot is 436,000 viewers, making it the number one-viewed Spanish-language program in late-night television. 

Last Sunday's Combate Global tentpole event, which aired in over 70 countries worldwide, was headlined by the organization's first-ever European fighter tournament, featuring four lightweight (155 pounds) competitors representing four different countries – France, Spain, Ireland and Italy – as well as three non-tournament matchups between fighters from Mexico and fighters from the U.S.

Source: Nielsen, NPM, L+SD data

About Combate Global 
Combate Global, previously "Combate Americas," is the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, rapidly becoming the number two sport after soccer for Spanish speaking fans worldwide. It is the only MMA property regularly airing on broadcast television in both the U.S. (Univision) and Mexico (Televisa).  In 2021, Combate Global partnered with CBS Sports to distribute its live shows in English in the U.S. on Paramount+.  The company's programming is available in over 70 countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere globally.

Nielsen research indicates that an astounding 91 percent of Combate Global viewers in the U.S. are not regular viewers of other MMA content, demonstrating that Combate Global has garnered a new MMA audience with its World Cup-style, country vs. country-style competition.  Each year of Combate Global action culminates with "COPA COMBATE," the toughest event in sports, and the most coveted destination for representing one's country.

Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren, also the co-founder and creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has been described by New York Magazine as "the marketing genius behind the UFC," while Yahoo Sports has said he "knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today."  Under his direction, the growth of Combate Americas' television footprint and worldwide audience triggered a re-branding in 2021 to Combate Global.

SOURCE Combate Global