Saturday's "EliteXC: Heat" broadcast, which aired on CBS live from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., drew 4.3 million viewers, according to early ratings information available to CBS executives.

The numbers were similar to the first "Saturday Night Fights" broadcast in May, which drew a solid average audience of 4.85 million viewers, and they were up sharply from the second EliteXC-CBS broadcast in July, which flopped with approximately 2.6 million viewers.

These latest numbers do not include the final 20 minutes of the "Heat" broadcast (the event ran past its two-hour timeslot), so the numbers should increase slightly when the night's main event is factored in.

However, despite the solid rebound in ratings, the latest "Saturday Night Fights" installment finished behind ABC's college football offerings, FOX's latest episode of "America's Most Wanted," and NBC's repeat of a "Law & Order: SVU" episode.

Full ratings for the event will be available on Tuesday.

"EliteXC: Heat" featured late replacement Seth Petruzelli's 14-second TKO upset of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, as well as victories for EliteXC welterweight champ Jake Shields, Andrei Arlovski (in a featured Affliction bout), top female star Gina Carano and Benji Radach.

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