'Diaz vs. Noons 2' Earns Strikeforce 509,000 Viewers During Main Event

Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Noons 2” peaked with a viewership of 509,000 people tuned into Showtime to watch the night's featured fight. The event took place on Oct. 9 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The ratings were first reported by MMAjunkie.com Tuesday, and Sherdog confirmed the numbers today with Strikeforce officials. The event netted an average of 350,000 viewers from start to finish and became Strikeforce's second-highest rated show of the year, trailing only their Miami show in January.

The Oct. 9 broadcast featured the long-awaited rematch between Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and nemesis K.J. Noons. The pair engaged in five punch-filled rounds, with Diaz eventually earning a unanimous decision. The win evened the fighters at one victory apiece, as Noons had previously defeated Diaz in their first matchup for the now-defunct EliteXC 160-pound title in 2007.

Also on the card were a women's welterweight title showdown between reigning champ Sarah Kaufman and Dutch submission expert Marloes Coenen and a lightweight title-eliminator between Josh Thomson and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante. Coenen took Kaufman's title back to Holland with an expertly executed third round armbar from the guard, and Thomson did enough to win a hard-fought unanimous decision, placing him back in the running for a shot at rival Gilbert Melendez's lightweight championship.

The numbers reported only reflect the live-broadcast ratings and do not include secondary viewing options like DVR, replays or Showtime On Demand. When those viewer options are factored in, total viewership increases substantially.

Strikeforce peak ratings for 2010:

517,000 -- “Miami” [January]
509,000 -- “Diaz vs. Noons 2” [October]
470,000 -- “Houston” [August]
448,000 -- “St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” [May]
412,000 -- “Fedor vs. Werdum” [June]
200,000 -- “Los Angeles” [June]