Bellator 214 attracted an average audience of 697,000 to Paramount Network for this past Saturday’s card, according to an industry source.
That figure is the highest for the California-based promotion since Bellator 192, which drew 770,000 viewers for a card headlined by a clash between Chael Sonnen and Quinton Jackson.
Bellator 214 took place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and saw Ryan Bader claim the vacant heavyweight title with a 35-second stoppage of Fedor Emelianenko in the evening’s headliner. Ratings peaked at 1.2 million viewers for the abbreviated heavyweight grand prix final at 11:34 p.m. ET.
The co-main event, where Henry Corrales knocked out highly-touted prospect Aaron Pico in 67 seconds, averaged 808,000 viewers, while the debut of former professional wrestling star Jake Hager — better known as “Jack Swagger” — averaged 809,000.
Final ratings should increase with the addition of DVR +3 figures later in the week.