In unsurprising ratings news, Spike TV today announced that the debut episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 11" witnessed a 53 percent decline in viewership from the first episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 10."

Of course, "TUF 10" featured YouTube legend and proven ratings draw Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, whereas "TUF 11" hosts a crop of mostly unknown middleweight prospects.

Despite the drop-off, the 1.9 million viewers that tuned in represents a 9 percent increase from 2009's "The Ultimate Fighter 9" debut.

Wednesday's hour-long "TUF 11" debut, which introduced ex-UFC champs Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz as coaches, qualified as the No. 2 ranked show on cable in its timeslot in the key demographics of men 18-34 and men 18-49.

The overall ratings for the program include a 1.8 in men 18-49, a 2.1 in men 18-34, a 1.3 in men 18-24 and a strong 2.6 in men 25-34.

Quarterly ratings for total household viewership remained steady throughout the program, peaking at 1.52 yet never falling below 1.37.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes.