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After going head-to-head with "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" on Versus, Showtime's broadcast of "Strikeforce: Evolution" scored a nearly identical audience size.
WEC 45 drew 330,000 viewers, and Strikeforce's latest offering topped it slightly with 341,000 viewers today confirmed with officials.
"Strikeforce: Evolution" took place Dec. 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Scott Smith scored a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over former middleweight champ Cung Le in the night's main event, and in a co-headliner that should earn "Fight of the Year" consideration, interim champ Gilbert Melendez scored a decision victory over title-holder Josh Thomson to unify the lightweight titles.
The televised card also featured successful promotional debuts for Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.
The audience of 341,000 viewers is fairly typical for Showtime, a premium cable station that boasts about 12 million subscribers. (Versus, by comparison, is available in approximately 75 million households.) Showtime is home to the Strikeforce Challengers series and many of the organization's major shows, which also now air on CBS.
Strikeforce returns to Showtime on Jan. 30 for the "Strikeforce: Miami" card, which features a pair of title fights with Strikeforce women's featherweight champ Cris Cyborg vs. Marloes Coenen and a bout between Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis for the organization's first-ever welterweight title.
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