RATINGS: Conor McGregor has sprinkled his magic dust on the dying TUF brand

Dana White, you clever dog you.

The UFC president dropped the McGregor bomb on The Ultimate Fighter reality show after ratings continued to dwindle in recent years. A guaranteed draw, Conor McGregor was drafted in by White to save TUF and, if the season opener's numbers in the States are anything to go by, he may just have succeeded. The ratings of the season premiere of TUF 22 was up 27% on the previous season, peaking at 745,000 according to figures obtained by MMAFighting.com. That dwarfs the ratings of TUF 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians which earned 490,000 and TUF 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned which got 563,000 pairs of eyes. The double-episode which saw 32 competitors fight to get into the TUF house was the second highest watched sports showmthat night, just behind Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels which had 788,000 viewers tune in. Say what you will about The Notorious but he sure knows how to attract an audience.