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Etihad Arena

Coordinates: 24°27′37″N 54°36′14″E / 24.4603°N 54.6040°E / 24.4603; 54.6040
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Not to be confused with Yas Arena or City of Manchester Stadium.
Etihad Arena
Map
LocationYas Bay Waterfront, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Coordinates24°27′37″N 54°36′14″E / 24.4603°N 54.6040°E / 24.4603; 54.6040
OperatorEthara
Capacity18,000
Construction
OpenedJanuary 2021
ArchitectHOK
Website
Official website

Etihad Arena (initially known as Yas Bay Arena while under construction) is an indoor arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, located on the Yas Bay Waterfront district of Yas Island. Designed by HOK, the capacity of the venue is 18,000 and it is operated by Etihad.[1][2]

History

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In 2018, its design received the 2018 MENA Green Building Award for "Sustainable Building Design of the Year".[3]

In January 2020, naming rights for the new arena were sold to Etihad Airways.[4]

Originally expected to open in March 2020, its opening was delayed due to event cancellations tied to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.[5]

It opened in January 2021, with its first event being UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar. The arena held its second UFC event days later, hosting UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. The UFC had held mixed martial arts events on Yas Island behind closed doors in a bubble arrangement known as "Fight Island"; this marked the UFC's first event in the series to have spectators at a limited capacity.[6][7] The promotion held its first PPV event that same month, hosting UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2.[8]

The UFC returned to Etihad Arena for UFC 267: Błachowicz vs. Teixeira in October 2021.[9] The UFC returned to the arena in 2022 again for their annual October PPV UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev.[10] In October of 2023 UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 was held as their annual event.

In 2024 two UFC events will be held. UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov in August and UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway in October.

For hosting the 2021 World Swimming Championships in December 2021, a temporary pool was added to the arena.[3][11]

On 21 May 2022, the arena hosted an exhibition boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Don Moore. On November 5, 2022, a WBA light heavyweight title fight was held between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramírez.

In October 2022, the arena held two NBA preseason games between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 marked the league’s first games held in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf.[12]

On 26 January 2023, the arena held Imagine Dragon's Mercury World Tour.[13] It was the band's first concert in the city of Abu Dhabi.

In October 2023, the NBA returned to the arena for two preseason games between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.[14]

Guns N' Roses performed on June 1, 2023, many old songs were played for the first time in a long time (Anything Goes, Pretty Tied Up and Bad Obsession, Down on the Farm).

In October 2024, the NBA returned to the arena for two preseason games between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets. The league faced criticism from human rights groups, which claimed the event was assisting repressive regimes in sportswashing their human rights records. Human Rights Watch urged the NBA to undertake measures to address the UAE’s rights records. The game was also attended by U.S. ambassador Martina A. Strong, who was questioned for supporting the NBA’s association with the UAE, despite human rights concerns. Instead, Strong commended the NBA for expanding global access to basketball.[15][16]

Notable events

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References

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  1. ^ "ETIHAD AND MIRAL SIGN AGREEMENT NAMING ETIHAD ARENA, THE NEW ENTERTAINMENT VENUE ON YAS ISLAND". Miral Asset Management. 9 January 2020.
  2. ^ "HOK Unveils Design for Yas Arena in Abu Dhabi". 12 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Etihad Arena – the best venue ever? Well, probably". FINA. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Etihad takes naming rights to new Abu Dhabi arena". The Stadium Business. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  5. ^ "Etihad Arena opening date pushed back by coronavirus". The Stadium Business. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  6. ^ Staff (2021-01-07). "Fans are back: UFC will have 'limited' attendance at three-card 'Fight Island' stint at Etihad Arena". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  7. ^ Newswire (2021-01-10). "Etihad Arena lists official COVID-19 safety measures for fans at January UFC Fight Island shows". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  8. ^ a b Okamoto, Brett (22 January 2021). "Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier make weight for UFC 257". ESPN.
  9. ^ Gabriel Gonzalez (2021-07-24). "UFC 267 targeted as double-header, non-PPV event". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  10. ^ "UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev". MMAjunkie.com. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  11. ^ a b "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2021: Overview". FINA. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Bucks, Hawks to play 2 preseason games in Abu Dhabi". National Basketball Association. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  13. ^ "Imagine Dragons". Imagine Dragons Music. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Wolves, Mavs to play 2 preseason games in Abu Dhabi". National Basketball Association. 2023-05-02. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  15. ^ "UAE: NBA Games Risk "Sportswashing" Abuses". Human Rights Watch. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  16. ^ "The N.B.A. in Abu Dhabi: Big Games, Basketball Clinics and 'Sportswashing' Claims". The New York Times. 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  17. ^ "IIFA Awards: 'Shershaah' leads with top honours, Vicky Kaushal dedicates award to Irrfan". The New Indian Express. 5 June 2022.
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