Tape-Delayed Bellator 179 Averages 877,000 Viewers for MacDonald-Daley Main Event

The Bellator 179 headliner between recent UFC signee Rory MacDonald and British knockout artist Paul Daley attracted 877,000 viewers to Spike on Friday night.

The bout, which was to determine the No. 1 contender for the promotion’s 170-pound title, peaked at 955,000 viewers (dvr+3), according a Spike official. MacDonald dominated the bout with takedowns and ground-and-pound before submitting Daley with a rear-naked choke 1:45 into the second frame.

Bellator 179 took place at the SSE Arena in London and also saw Linton Vassell tap former 205-pound champion Liam McGeary with a third-round arm-triangle choke in the co-main event. The card aired via tape delay on Spike In the United States.

All told, Bellator 179 averaged 607,000 viewers for the evening’s main card, according to ShowBuzz Daily. That figure surpassed the California-based promotion’s last tape-delayed offering, as Bellator 177 from Budapest averaged 522,000 viewers for a card which featured an Eduardo Dantas vs. Leandro Higo headliner. In addition to being on tape delay, Bellator 179 also had to go head-to-head with the NBA and NHL playoffs on Friday.