UFC 296 excited fans in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday but also put on quite a show for those watching all over the world. In fact, the preliminary fights for the pay-per-view event were the most-watched ever on ESPN2.
- The UFC prelims were the most watched ever on ESPN2.
- While UFC pay-per-view events can be ordered through ESPN+, the prelims often air on other ESPN networks, like ESPN2.
- UFC 296, which was headlined by two championship fights including a welterweight showdown between champion Leon Edwards and challenger Colby Covington, featured some very exciting prelims.
- Some of the highlights on those prelims included:
- A huge submission victory for Ariane Lipski over Casey O’Neill in an incredibly impressive performance.
- A brutal knockout by former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt against talented contender Brian Kelleher.
- A “Fight of the Year” candidate between Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa who got the crowd on their feet before the start of the main card.
- Read some more highlights from UFC 296 here.
- The average viewers for the UFC 296 prelims were up 20% from that of UFC 282, which aired almost exactly a year prior.
- Additionally, ESPN has reported that overall viewership for UFC prelim broadcasts across both ESPN and ESPN2 was up 35% from 2022.
- For the UFC, the event closed out their 2023 calendar as they begin preparing for their 2024 events.