Promotion Elite Xtreme Combat Venue Prudential Center | Date May 31, 2008 City Newark, New Jersey | |
EliteXC Primetime EliteXC Return of the King | ||
EliteXC: Primetime was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Elite Xtreme Combat taking place on May 31, 2008 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Contents
Background
In February 2008, it was announced that EliteXC had reached an agreement with CBS to broadcast live shows on Saturday nights. This marked the first show of the agreement. The main card aired live on CBS, marking the first time a MMA event aired in primetime on major American network television.
As with earlier EliteXC events, the preliminary card aired for free online at Proelite.com.
Carlton Haselrig was originally scheduled to face Jarrod Bunch. However, Bunch was removed from the card and replaced by Carlos Moreno.
Television ratings and coverage
In terms of ratings, the show averaged 4.85 million viewers and peaked during the main event at 6.51 million viewers, making it the most watched MMA show in television history until UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos.
However, not all CBS stations carried the program at the scheduled time. At least five – WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, KXJB-TV in Fargo, North Dakota and three stations in Montana – aired a telethon to benefit the Children's Miracle Network instead. All those stations aired the EliteXC card early the next morning. Also, WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina and the surrounding Triad area refused to air the program because they disliked the sport – it was passed on to a low-powered independent station, WGSR-LP.