Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva Crushes Promotion’s Ratings Record On Showtime

Is Fedor Emelianenko’s latest downfall the catalyst to a Strikeforce upswing?

One could argue that it is. Cable industry sources informed MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday that Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva was the promotion’s highest rated effort to date on Showtime, pulling in an average audience of 741,000 viewers over the course of the telecast.

The show, not surprisingly, peaked with the Fedor vs. Antonio Silva fight, drawing 1.1 million viewers.

The numbers shatter Strikeforce’s previous Showtime best when current women’s middleweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos took the belt from Gina Carano. That event garnered an average of 576,000 viewers, peaking at 853,000.

Antonio Silva used his size and skill to overwhelm an overly aggressive Fedor on Saturday night at the Izod Center in New Jersey. The fight came to an end after the second round when doctor’s would not allow Fedor, whose right eye was swollen shut, to answer the bell for the third and final round.

After the fight, Fedor questioned his future, saying it might be time to stop fighting.