Bellator 243 Draws Promotion’s Best Ratings of 2020 on Paramount Network

Michael Chandler remains a solid draw for Bellator MMA.

Bellator 243, which was headlined by a lightweight rematch between Chandler and Benson Henderson, drew an average audience of 403,000 viewers to Paramount Network on Friday night, according to ShowBuzz Daily. That’s the highest ratings figure of the four cards the California-based promotion has broadcast on Paramount Network thus far in 2020.

The previous best was Bellator 240, which averaged 310,000 viewers on Paramount for a card held in Dublin on Feb. 22.

Bellator 243 took place at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut and saw Chandler knock out Henderson at the 2:09 mark of Round 1 in their featured bout. In the co-headliner, Timothy Johnson defeated Matt Mitrione via TKO 3:14 into the first frame of a heavyweight scrap.

Bellator 243 was also simulcast on Dazn, but viewership numbers for the streaming platform are not made public.