LAS VEGAS, March 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Establishing
an industry first, T-Mobile Arena has entered into an extended
multi-year agreement with UFC® that names the world's
premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization as an Anchor Tenant
of the arena owned by Las Vegas Arena Company, LLC, which is
majority owned by AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:
MGM).
The partnership, which also establishes T-Mobile Arena as UFC's
exclusive Las Vegas arena
destination, marks the first time that a global sports brand, other
than a professional sports franchise, has been named as an Anchor
Tenant for a sports and entertainment venue. The milestone
agreement was negotiated by UFC owners WME | IMG, LLC; Zuffa, LLC
and the ownership partners of T-Mobile Arena, which opened
April 6, 2016 and has already hosted
three of UFC's most successful events including UFC®
200: TATE vs. NUNES, UFC® 202: DIAZ vs. MCGREGOR
2 and UFC® 207: NUNES vs. ROUSEY.
"Las Vegas has always been the
home of UFC, and after more than a decade it is awesome to now have
a historic venue deal in the Fight Capital of the World to make it
official," UFC President Dana White
said.
UFC Senior Vice President of Event Development and Operations
Peter Dropick echoed White's
excitement: "In less than one year, we have set multiple records in
the T-Mobile Arena and we look forward to continuing to work with
our long-standing partners, both world leaders in the arena and
entertainment sectors, to elevate and showcase the best of our
brand."
The comprehensive agreement calls for UFC to host a minimum of
four events annually. UFC will have priority scheduling for
designated major events windows, such as International Fight Week,
and will have a presence at T-Mobile Arena – headlining the welcome
sign in the lobby alongside the Vegas Golden Knights, as well as
concourse activations, signage and retail space. WME | IMG also
owns the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), which has a long-term
agreement for its World Finals at T-Mobile Arena.
Todd Goldstein, Chief Revenue
Officer, AEG, said, "From day one, AEG and MGM Resorts have been
committed to developing a showplace for the very best in concerts,
championship sporting events, awards shows and special events that
would be unrivaled not only in Las
Vegas but in our industries. There is no doubt that UFC is
synonymous with the biggest and best events today that attract
unprecedented international audiences on platforms of all
kinds. T-Mobile Arena is truly a one-of-a-kind, world class
arena that will create the most outstanding stage and atmosphere
worthy of the incredible events of all kinds UFC and WME |
IMG will bring to our venue and most importantly, our fans."
Bill Hornbuckle, President of MGM
Resorts International, said, "We have enjoyed a tremendous
partnership with UFC for many years and are excited to enter into
this exclusive agreement at T-Mobile Arena, a first for the
industry. While UFC calls Las
Vegas home, there are few brands as powerful globally. We
look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world for years
to come for the kind of spectacular events and entertainment that
can only be found in this city."
UFC joins the new Vegas Golden Knights NHL expansion team, set
to begin play this fall, as the arena's two Anchor Tenants.
The 20,000-seat venue has been designed to meet the U.S. Green
Building Council's standards for LEED® Gold
Certification and was recently named 'Best New Arena' by Pollstar
Magazine.
UFC® 209: WOODLEY vs. THOMPSON 2 is
scheduled for T-Mobile Arena this Saturday,
March 4 and may be seen live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m.
PST.
ABOUT UFC®
UFC® is a
premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event
provider in the world. Acquired in 2016 by global sports,
entertainment and fashion leader, WME | IMG, together with
strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is
headquartered in Las Vegas with a
network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40
live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most
prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast
in over 152 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV
households worldwide in 35 different languages. UFC FIGHT
PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers
exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original
content to fans around the world. For more information, visit
UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and
Instagram: @UFC.
ABOUT T-MOBILE ARENA
T-Mobile Arena, the new
20,000-seat venue located on the Las Vegas Strip between
New York-New York and Monte Carlo, opened April 6, 2016. The arena hosts more than 100
events annually including major headline entertainment, awards
shows, UFC, boxing, basketball and other sporting events, family
shows and special events. T-Mobile Arena will welcome the Vegas
Golden Knights, a National Hockey League expansion team, in the
fall of 2017 – Las Vegas' first
professional sports team. The city's newest landmark, recently
named "Best New Major Concert Venue" by Pollstar Magazine, features
50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete
broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive
hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest
experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre
outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety
of video screens and other interactive content and display
areas. Industry-leading architect Populous designed T-Mobile
Arena to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standards for LEED®
Gold Certification. T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded joint
venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:
MGM). For more information, visit the T-Mobile Arena website
at www.t-mobilearena.com.
Media Contacts:
Isabelle McLemore, UFC
imclemore@ufc.com
702-504-0905
Scott Ghertner, MGM Resorts
International
sghertner@mgmresorts.com
702-692-6750
Michael Roth, AEG
mroth@aegworldwide.com
213-742-7155
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SOURCE AEG