The experiment is now an official strategy.
Spike TV aired an hour-long preliminary bout broadcast before three UFC pay-per-view events in 2009. Averaging 1.4 million viewers for the three “UFC Prelims” telecasts, the network has agreed to at least 10 such live telecasts in 2010.
Spike TV announced the agreement Wednesday morning.
The first UFC Prelim shows in 2010 will be on Jan. 2 for UFC 108 and Feb. 6 for UFC 109. The remaining eight shows will be announced at a later date.
The news is just the latest in the UFC’s ever-expanding presence on cable television, which also includes a recent agreement with the Versus network, home to World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), to air two live UFC events in 2010.