Ortiz-Sonnen draws 1.85M viewers for Bellator 170 main event

Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen brought the star power to Bellator as promised.

According to a Spike TV press release Tuesday, the main event of Bellator 170 hit a peak of 1.85 million viewers, boosting the show to an average viewership of 1.4 million. That marks the third-best ratings turnout in the promotion's history.

The bout was hyped as a grudge match between Ortiz and Sonnen, who had competed in an amateur wrestling contest in 1998, a contest that Sonnen won. Adding extra weight to the encounter was Ortiz's announcement that the fight would be the last of his 19-year MMA career.

Between the two of them, Ortiz and Sonnen have 77 professional bouts under their belts and both made names for themselves in the UFC. Ortiz is a former light heavyweight champion, while Sonnen has thrice challenged for UFC gold.

After months of trash talk and bad blood, the fight ended in an anticlimactic first-round submission win for Ortiz.

Also featured on the televised portion of the card were British knockout artist Paul Daley and former World Series of Fighting Champion Georgi Karakhanyan.