Benson Henderson prefers FOX over PPV fights
Source | MMAFighting.com
After drawing 5.7 million viewers on FOX for his battle with Diaz (with Spanish language viewership on Fox Deportes, the number was likely closer to 6 million U.S. viewers, which would be 7th place all-time), he said he felt it was just another fight, but using the “soccer mom” criteria, he now wants to fight on FOX as opposed to pay-per-view.
“(I felt) probably pretty much the same, but it was taken very well,” said Henderson. “I did a pretty good job. I earned a `W.’ But just the number of people who tuned in for the main event, 5.5 million (he shortchanged himself), that’s a lot of people. That smashes any pay-per-view numbers. A lot of guys talk about pay-per-view buys. I don’t give a crap about pay-per-view stuff. I like fighting on the biggest platform and FOX is that platform. I’m excited to be on FOX for the second time in a row. I think that it shows the trust the UFC top brass and the FOX top brass have in me. They think I’ll portray the sport in the right manner. I think it’s the cool to have that bigger platform. 5.5 million viewers and the core demographic of males, but it’s great to be watched by soccer moms who are flipping channels, they stop and watch and become fans. I go to the grocery store now, 50-year-old soccer moms say, `I saw you on TV.’ I really dig that, and it only happened after being on that big of a platform.”