D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
• Jose Aldo's ascension to the top of the featherweight division by toppling Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 44 drew average ratings on Versus. The Nov. 11 event earned an average of 414,000 viewers over the course of the broadcast. The number is a bit below the 419,000 drawn for WEC 43 last month featuring Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson. The number was down significantly from Brown's title defenses against Urijah Faber and Leonard Garcia. The card drew 1,845 spectators (1,132 paid) for a $131,200 gate, according to figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In other WEC notes, UFC President Dana White said this week the promotion has renewed its broadcast deal with Versus for an unspecified period of time, which should put to rest talk of a merger with the UFC for the foreseeable future. Other reports indicated the deal has not been finalized yet.
MMAJunkie.com reported that Aldo's Nova Uniao teammate Wagnney Fabiano will drop to bantamweight now that his brethren reigns atop 145 pounds; he has agreed to face Frank Gomez at WEC 46 on Jan. 10, according to MMAJunkie.com.
• Spike TV confirmed this week that ratings juggernaut Kimbo Slice will be fighting on the "The Ultimate Fighter" finale on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas. The network did not reveal the opponent in order to leave open the possibility that Slice fills in as an injury replacement on the final TUF episode on Dec. 3 and makes it to the finals. It has been widely reported that Slice will fight Houston Alexander on the card; Alexander confirmed it on a radio station this week. The fight, which will be televised live on Spike TV, is believed to be contracted at a catch-weight of 215 pounds. Slice's magnetism has drawn the highest ratings in TUF history, with an average of 3.6 million viewers a week to date, smashing the season three average.
• Rambaa Somdet became the first 115-pound champion in the Shooto promotion by taking a sound unanimous decision in a rematch against Noboru Tahara on Nov. 23. Somdet, the Thai flyweight who made an impression stateside last year with a win in the Palace Fighting Championships, picked apart his opposition with solid punch combinations. The Shooto "Revolutionary Exchanges 3" card in Tokyo also saw female world beater Megumi Fujii improve to 19-0 by armbarring Tomomi Sunaba in the first round. It was Fuji's fifth armbar victory in six fights.
• Top female contender Tara Larosa (17-1) and notable featherweight Wilson Reis (8-1) picked up wins on the first card promoted by a group called "Locked in the Cage" on Nov. 20 in Philadelphia. LaRosa defeated Valerie Coolbaugh by first-round rear-naked choke while Reis beat Dwayne Shelton by unanimous decision.
• Former UFC lightweight Corey Hill was advertised to return to MMA on a Florida card for the first time since shattering his tibia in a UFC fight last December, but did not end up competing. Hill, who is still under UFC contract, is set to return to action on Jan. 23 on a card in Niagara, New York, Sherdog.com reported.
• A study of mixed martial arts fans conducted by Scarborough Sports Marketing revealed some interesting trends that could prove key in attracting sponsors and upping the sport's media profile.
Of 221,000 adults ages 18 years and older in 81 U.S. markets tracked in the six-month survey, it found that MMA fans are 15 percent more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of at least $75,000 and 10% more likely to own a second home. The study also said MMA fans are above the national average for current ownership of high-tech household items such as HDTVs, VOD service, video game systems and broadband Internet.
The study concluded that MMA fans are a particularly good target for automotive and technology advertising.