UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (Pictures)’s first appearance on free television in more than two years was a ratings hit, according to figures released Tuesday by Spike TV representatives.

Silva’s light heavyweight debut against former World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder James Irvin (Pictures) drew 3.8 million viewers as the anchor for the UFC Fight Night 14 broadcast Saturday in Las Vegas. By comparison, Fox’s coverage of Major League Baseball earlier in the day sported an audience just shy of 3.1 million viewers.

At its peak, the UFC Fight Night 14 telecast drew a 4.9 share among men, ages 25 to 34, and a 4.1 rating for men, ages 18 to 34. Silva had not competed on Spike TV since he blasted through Chris Leben (Pictures) in June 2006.

Unbeaten in seven trips inside the Octagon, Silva (22-4) blew away Irvin in 61 seconds, as he leveled the Californian with a straight right hand and finished the match with strikes on the ground. The otherworldly Brazilian has not been taken beyond the second round by any of his UFC opponents and will carry an eight-fight winning streak into his next match, rumored to be a middleweight title defense against Patrick Cote (Pictures) at UFC 88 on Sept. 6 in Atlanta.

Spike TV’s UFC Fight Night 14 telecast outdrew every other channel with 18-to 34-year-old men (903,000), 18- to 49-year-old men (1,550,000), 25- to 34-year-old men (622,000) and all 18- to 34-year-old viewers (1,326,000). Overall, the three-hour broadcast averaged a 2.1 household rating. Among males, ages 18 to 49, the event outdrew ESPN’s annual coverage of The ESPY Awards.