Inside the Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
Brian Knapp Oct 26, 2011
A quick look inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center ...
Location: Las Vegas
Seating Capacity: 12,000
Architect: Klai Juba Architects
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to one of its favorite
haunts -- the Mandalay Bay Events Center -- for the 21st time with
UFC
137 “Penn vs. Diaz” this Saturday in Las Vegas. The 11-fight
lineup features a pivotal welterweight battle between former
two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn and
onetime Strikeforce
titleholder Nick Diaz,
along with a heavyweight tilt pitting French kickboxer Cheick Kongo
against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Matt
Mitrione. Welterweight king Georges
St. Pierre was originally scheduled to headline the event
against Carlos
Condit but was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.
The 12,000-seat arena is connected to a 44-story, 3,000-plus-room hotel and 135,000 square feet of casino space. The sprawling Mandalay Bay complex features the Shark Reef Aquarium, the only predator-based aquarium and exhibit in North America. Housed within the 1.6 million gallons of water are several species of shark, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, jellyfish and the rare golden crocodile. The resort also touts the 11-acre Mandalay Beach, with three heated pools, a wave pool and a lazy river. The wave pool delivers waves ranging from two to four feet in height in 90-second intervals. Shopping enthusiasts might gravitate to the Mandalay Place, a mall that connects the Mandalay Bay to the neighboring pyramid-shaped Luxor.
The Mandalay Bay Events Center has played host to a number of influential UFC shows, including the promotion’s Las Vegas debut at UFC 33. Other events of note were UFC 46, which featured Penn’s stunning submission victory over then welterweight champion Matt Hughes and the first Octagon appearance of a then 22-year-old St. Pierre; UFC 57, which resulted in the rubber match between hall of famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture; UFC 64, which gave rise to Anderson Silva’s current reign as middleweight champion; and UFC 100, which netted a $5 million live gate and a record 1.6 million pay-per-view buys.
The 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards (Nov. 10), Katy Perry (Nov. 19) and Michael Jackson “The Immortal World Tour” (Dec. 3-27) will follow the UFC into the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Location: Las Vegas
Seating Capacity: 12,000
Architect: Klai Juba Architects
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The 12,000-seat arena is connected to a 44-story, 3,000-plus-room hotel and 135,000 square feet of casino space. The sprawling Mandalay Bay complex features the Shark Reef Aquarium, the only predator-based aquarium and exhibit in North America. Housed within the 1.6 million gallons of water are several species of shark, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, jellyfish and the rare golden crocodile. The resort also touts the 11-acre Mandalay Beach, with three heated pools, a wave pool and a lazy river. The wave pool delivers waves ranging from two to four feet in height in 90-second intervals. Shopping enthusiasts might gravitate to the Mandalay Place, a mall that connects the Mandalay Bay to the neighboring pyramid-shaped Luxor.
The Mandalay Bay Events Center has played host to a number of influential UFC shows, including the promotion’s Las Vegas debut at UFC 33. Other events of note were UFC 46, which featured Penn’s stunning submission victory over then welterweight champion Matt Hughes and the first Octagon appearance of a then 22-year-old St. Pierre; UFC 57, which resulted in the rubber match between hall of famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture; UFC 64, which gave rise to Anderson Silva’s current reign as middleweight champion; and UFC 100, which netted a $5 million live gate and a record 1.6 million pay-per-view buys.
The 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards (Nov. 10), Katy Perry (Nov. 19) and Michael Jackson “The Immortal World Tour” (Dec. 3-27) will follow the UFC into the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
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