We are often fed a healthy diet of Zuffa press releases constantly citing the power of the UFC brand in the male 18-34 demographic. While this is certainly MMA's roundhouse demographic sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and observe the larger picture. In that spirit let us examine total ratings. 

Here are the top rated sports events from last week courtesy of NFL Fanhouse 

NBC NFL Preseason (Bills-Titans), 7.9 million viewers
CBS Bridgestone Final Round (Tiger Woods won), 6.3 million viewers
ESPN Sunday Night Baseball (Red Sox-Yankees), 4.7 million viewers
FOX Baseball (Red Sox-Yankees & Rangers-Angels), 4.0 million viewers
ESPN NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (At the Glen), 2.5 million viewers    

Compare those raw numbers to the big three live UFC events on Spike, 

UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion: 5.93 million viewers (peak), 4.7 million viewers. 
Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 - The Final Chapter: 5.7 million viewers (peak)
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale: 3.4 million viewers

It should be noted that the UFC events were held on cable as oppose to network TV. Puls the difference in business models between the sports should be considered as well; but the fact that a preseason football game crushed the UFC's ratings records kind of makes ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio's Dana White bashing feel not so outlandish.