Scrambles, reversals, punches n bunches – round 1 has everything! #UFC236 pic.twitter.com/pgkyK8nUPD
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2019
The UFC 236 prelims attracted 893,000 viewers to ESPN, according to ShowBuzz Daily.
The figure is the lowest for a pay-per-view prelims on ESPN thus far. UFC 234 prelims drew 1.339 million viewers, while UFC 235 prelims attracted an audience of 1.48 million. The UFC 236 prelims drew 498,000 viewers in the 18 to 49 demographic and a 0.60 share on Saturday.
The preliminary card served as a lead-in to the UFC 236 pay-per-view, which was featured by an interim lightweight title bout between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway and an interim middleweight title clash pitting Israel Adesanya against Kelvin Gastelum. It was the first pay-per-view available exclusively on ESPN+.
This particular preliminary card was light on star power, as Matt Frevola earned a unanimous verdict over Jalin Turner in the featured bout. Perhaps the most notable contest on the four-bout lineup was a flyweight tilt pitting Alexandre Pantoja against Wilson Reis. The event also went head-to-head with NBA and NHL playoff games, which were scheduled throughout the day and evening.