The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.[1] It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, and was opened on April 10, 1999. MGM and brewing company Anheuser-Busch entered a naming-rights agreement in 2021, naming the arena after the company's Michelob Ultra beer.[2]
 | |
 Interior of venue during Evo 2017 | |
  Michelob Ultra Arena Location within Nevada  Michelob Ultra Arena Location within the United States | |
| Former names | Mandalay Bay Events Center (1999–2021) |
|---|---|
| Address | 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard |
| Location | Paradise, Nevada |
| Coordinates | 36°5′26.44″N 115°10′44.33″W / 36.0906778°N 115.1789806°W |
| Owner | MGM Resorts International |
| Type | Arena |
| Capacity | 12,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1998 |
| Opened | April 10, 1999 |
| Tenants | |
| Las Vegas Aces (WNBA) (2018–present) NBA G League Ignite (NBAGL) (2021–2022) Las Vegas Desert Dogs (NLL) (2022–2024) | |
| Website | |
| Venue website | |
It is the home arena for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association and was previously home to the Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League. The arena also hosts a variety of music, sports, and entertainment events.
History
editThe facility opened as the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 10, 1999, with a performance by opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.[3] It was his first Las Vegas concert since 1985.[3][4] The facility opened a month after the Mandalay Bay resort, and included a 30,218 sq ft (2,807.3 m2) floor.[5] The venue was originally planned to include 8,000 seats, but boxing promoter Bob Arum convinced Mandalay Resort Group to increase this to 12,000.[6] The Mandalay Bay Events Center gave Las Vegas its third musical arena, joining the Thomas & Mack Center and the MGM Grand Garden Arena.[7]
MGM Mirage acquired Mandalay Resort Group and the venue in 2005, and was later renamed MGM Resorts International. Around 2014, MGM considered turning the facility into a theater, before deciding to build the Park Theater instead.[8] In February 2021, the venue was renamed Michelob Ultra Arena, through a partnership with brewing company Anheuser-Busch. It is named after the company's Michelob Ultra beer.[9][10]
Sports
editCombat Sports
editThe arena hosts boxing matches, including the high-profile Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah Light welterweight title unification, match on July 23, 2011.
As of July 2018, the Mandalay Bay Events Center has held 31 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, starting with UFC 33, and most recently, UFC Fight Night 88. It held the largest UFC weigh-in show in history in conjunction with International Fight Week 2012 ahead of UFC 148 welcoming 10,000 fans.[11] UFC cards in Vegas have since moved to T-Mobile Arena as part of a comprehensive marketing and tenancy agreement.
The 999th episode of WWE Raw was held at the arena on July 16, 2012, the first time the WWE performed at Mandalay Bay.
Basketball
editNBA
editThe first National Basketball Association game on the Las Vegas Strip since 1981 was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on October 6, 2012, a preseason contest between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers. The teams returned for preseason games in 2013 and 2014.[12][13]
NBA G League
editDuring the 2021–22 NBA G League season, the Michelob Ultra Arena would serve as one of the temporary home arenas for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México during their inaugural season at the NBA G League despite also being temporarily stationed at Fort Worth, Texas at the time due to the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] Not only that, but it would also serve as the neutral hosting site for the Showcase Cup Tournament for the G League (which would continue its existence following the 2021–22 season), as well as the home arena for the NBA G League Ignite during that entire season for them, including a couple of exhibition games played against the Capitanes.[16]
Las Vegas Aces and the WNBA
editThe NBA and WNBA officially announced on October 17, 2017, that the San Antonio Stars would relocate from San Antonio, Texas, and would be playing at the Mandalay Bay Events Center starting in the 2018 season as the Las Vegas Aces. They played their first home game on May 27, 2018.[17] The arena has hosted the Aces in the WNBA Finals twice, in 2022 and 2023. The Aces have four banners hanging from the rafters at the arena: one for the retirement of Becky Hammon's number 25, two for their WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, and one for their 2022 Commissioner's Cup championship.
The arena has hosted the WNBA All-Star Game and related All-Star events three times: 2019, 2021, and 2023.
USA Basketball
editIn 2021, Michelob Ultra Arena hosted a training camp for USA Basketball prior to their departure for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
College
editThe arena hosted the NCAA Men's basketball postseason tournament Vegas 16 in its only season, 2016. In 2021, the arena hosted the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball for a game against Seattle Redhawks while the National Finals Rodeo occupied UNLV's home arena, the Thomas & Mack Center. Michelob Ultra Arena also played hosted to the Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament from 2021 to 2023.
Box Lacrosse
editOn August 29, 2017, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that Las Vegas had been awarded an NLL franchise to begin playing in December 2022 for the 2022–2023 season. The team became known as the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.[18] The team moved to the Lee's Family Forum starting with the 2024–25 season.[19]
Esports
editThe 2016 Spring North American League of Legends Championship Series Finals were hosted at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 16 and 17, 2016.
From 2016 to 2023, the Evolution Championship Series fighting game tournament has held its final day of competition at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Entertainment events
editRock band Journey performed at the arena in December 2000 which was filmed for the Journey 2001 DVD.
VH1 held the first two Rock Honors ceremonies in this facility in 2006 and 2007.
It was the host of Yanni's Yanni Live! The Concert Event, in 2006.
The arena hosted Crüe Fest on August 1, 2008.
It played host to 311's biennial 3-11 Day concert on March 11, 2010. The band played four sets with 60 songs total.
The arena hosted the 2010 revival of the Lilith Fair on July 9.
On August 23, 2010, the arena served as the venue for Miss Universe 2010 where at the conclusion of the event Ximena Navarrete of Mexico was crowned as the winner.
January 28, 2011, Ozzy Osbourne performed as part of his tour for his new album Let Me Hear You Scream.
The cast of Glee were there on the first stop on their Glee Live! In Concert! tour on May 21, 2011.
On May 14, 2017, the arena hosted Miss USA 2017 pageant.[20]
The 25th Billboard Latin Music Awards was held in the Events Center on April 26, 2018.[21]
British heavy metal band Iron Maiden are slated to perform their The Future Past World Tour on October 5, 2024.[22]
Latin Grammy Awards
editThe arena has hosted the Latin Grammy Awards seven times. The Latin Grammys were held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in 2007 and from 2009 to 2013. The arena hosted the Latin Grammy Awards for a seventh time in 2022.[23]
In popular culture
editFootage of a boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Oba Carr, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, was used in the 1999 film Play It to the Bone.[24] The final boxing match in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa was also filmed at the venue.[10][25][26]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas". www.mandalaybay.com. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
- ^ "Mandalay Bay Events Center now named Michelob ULTRA Arena". KLAS-TV. February 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Paskevich, Michael (April 9, 1999). "Unmatched Success: World-famous Pavarotti will kick off arena's opening". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999.
- ^ Paskevich, Michael (December 1, 1998). "Pavarotti to open Mandalay Bay arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 10, 1999.
- ^ "Mandalay Bay Events Center debuts in April with Pavarotti". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 26, 1999. Archived from the original on June 30, 2001.
- ^ Juipe, Dean (March 31, 1998). "Arum influenced arena size". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Weatherford, Mike (February 5, 1999). "Mixed Blessing: Additional concert venues may mean more shows for higher prices". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 24, 2001.
- ^ Katsilometes, John (July 27, 2019). "Mandalay Bay Events Center almost didn't become Aces home". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Radke, Brock (February 11, 2021). "Mandalay Bay venue gets a new name: Michelob Ultra Arena". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Katsilometes, John (February 11, 2021). "Mandalay Bay cracks an Ultra for new venue name". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "UFC 148 weigh-ins on YouTube". YouTube. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- ^ "Clippers opens preseason on Vegas Strip". Orange County Register. June 25, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Carp, Steve (April 29, 2014). "Mandalay Bay ends business relationship with Clippers". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Showcase Cup: Agua Caliente Clippers at Ciudad de Mexico Capitanes, Dec 20, 2021". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "Showcase Cup: Westchester Knicks at Ciudad de Mexico Capitanes, Dec 22, 2021". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "2021-22 G League Ignite Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "San Antonio Stars moving to Las Vegas, bought by MGM Resorts". FOX Sports. 17 October 2017.
- ^ "NEW LAS VEGAS LACROSSE TEAM NAMED "DESERT DOGS"". April 25, 2022.
- ^ Snel, Alan (2024-04-12). "Las Vegas Desert Dogs Lacrosse Team Migrates To Lee's Family Forum Arena In Henderson For 2024-25 Season". LVSportsBiz. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "FOX Broadcasting Company - Full Episodes, Shows, Schedule". FOX Broadcasting Company - Full Episodes, Shows, Schedule.
- ^ "Jennifer Lopez Will Premiere Song at Billboard Latin Music Awards". Billboard. April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "Iron Maiden. The Future Past World Tour 2024". October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Latin GRAMMYs To Light Up Las Vegas". GRAMMY.com. 22 April 2013.
- ^ Cling, Carol (May 24, 1999). "Mandalay Bay makes big-screen debut in boxing film". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 9, 2001.
- ^ Kantowski, Ron (December 12, 2005). "The tale of the video tape from an up-close viewing of Rocky Balboa boxing match". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Movie Locations Guide: Maps and Directions to Filming Locations". www.movielocationsguide.com. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
External links
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| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Las Vegas Aces 2018–present |
Succeeded by Current Arena
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| Preceded by First Arena
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Home of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 2022–2024 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Fed Cup Final Four venue 2000 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ultimate Fighting Championship venue UFC 33 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Universe Venue 2010 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss USA Venue 2017 |
Succeeded by |
