UFC on Fox Sports 1 May Be Most Watched Fight Card in History

The launch for the brand new sports channel Fox Sports 1 has been big. A deal was struck on Wednesday so that all providers will carry the channel for its debut Saturday.

To promote Fox Sports 1, the channel has set up a UFC Fight Night card that will last for five hours on the channel. The main event features Chael Sonnen and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Along with an attention drawing main event, the fight card will also feature the highly anticipated debut of Irishman Connor McGregor, Urijah Faber, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 standout Uriah Hall, and a heavyweight clash with Alistar Overeem and Travis Browne.

With a large fight card all on one network channel, and a deal struck with Dish Network, Direct TV, and Time Warner Cable, over 93 million people will have UFC Fight Night 26 from their providers.

As a result, UFC’s debut on Fox Sports 1 may be the most watched fight card in history.

The previous record was an estimated 6.3 million who turned in to watch YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice face James Thompson in EliteXC. The highest watched UFC event was Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock in 2006.

With the growing popularity of the UFC, considered the fastest growing sport in the world, and plenty of hype to Fox Sports 1, many feel Saturday will set a new record. Along with the highest viewed fight card in history, Saturday will be a stepping stone to show how ready Fox Sports 1 will be to compete with ESPN and other major sports networks.

UFC Fight Night 26 is set for 6 p.m. ET at the TD Garden in Boston.

Follow Brandon Boles on Twitter: @BrandonBoles

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