MMA Houses of Pain: 10 Coolest Venues in the Sport

Over the course of the UFC, the promotion has had events held all across the world since the very first show back in November of 1993 in Denver.

Since that year, the UFC has been in more than 60 cities across 10 countries building their brand to be the dominant force in MMA today. Inside the continental United States alone, there have been events in 28 of the 48 states with the most coming in Nevada, New Jersey, Alabama, California and Connecticut.

With that said, let's check out the best venues to hold an event over the course of the history of the UFC.

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The Concert Arena

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Opened: N/A
Capacity: 11,000
Events Held: UFC 112

Memorable Fights

• Champion Anderson Silva defeated Demian Maia in a middleweight title bout.

• Frankie Edgar defeated champion BJ Penn in a lightweight title bout.

Mandalay Bay Events Center

Location: Las Vegas
Opened: 1999
Capacity: 11,000
Events Held: 20 (UFC 33, 44, 46, 47, 48, 51, 57, 58, 61, 62, 64, 67, 74, 79, 81, 86, 100, 106, 109, 126)

Memorable Events

• Georges St. Pierre defeats Matt Hughes in a interim welterweight title bout at UFC 79.

• Forrest Griffin defeats champion Quinton Jackson in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 86.

• Champion Brock Lesnar defeats interim champion Frank Mir in a heavyweight title unification bout at UFC 100.

Bell Centre

Location: Montreal
Opened: March 16, 1996
Capacity: 23,000
Events Held: Four (UFC 83, 97, 113, 124)

Memorable Events

• Interim Champion Georges St. Pierre defeats champion Matt Sierra in a welterweight title unification bout at UFC 83.

• Champion Georges St. Pierre defeats Josh Koscheck in a welterweight title bout at UFC 124.

O2 Arena

Location: London
Opened: June 20th, 2007
Capacity: 23,000
Events Held: Four (UFC 75, 85, 95, 120) 

Memorable Events

• UFC champion Quinton Jackson defeats Pride champion Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight unification bout at UFC 75.

Palace of Auburn Hills

Location: Detroit
Opened: August 13, 1988
Capacity: 24,000
Events Held: One (UFC 123) 

Memorable Events

• Quinton Jackson defeats Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 123.

Nationwide Arena

Location: Columbus, OH
Opened: September 9th, 2000
Capacity: 21,000
Events Held: Three (UFC 68, 82, 96) 

Memorable Events

• Randy Couture defeats champion Tim Sylvia in a heavyweight title bout at UFC 68.

• UFC champion Anderson Silva defeats Pride champion Dan Henderson in a middleweight title unification bout at UFC 82.

MGM Grand Garden Arena

Location: Las Vegas
Opened: 1993
Capacity: 17,157
Events Held: Nine (UFC 84, 91, 92, 94, 98, 108, 114, 116, 125)

Memorable Events

• Forest Griffin defeats champion Quinton Jackson in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 84.

• Rashad Evans defeats Champion Forrest Griffin in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 92.

• Champion Georges St. Pierre defeats BJ Penn in welterweight title bout at UFC 94.

• Champion Brock Lesnar defeats Interim champion Shane Carwin in a heavyweight title bout at UFC 116.

Staples Center

Location: Los Angeles
Opened: October 17, 1999
Capacity: 21,000
Events Held: Two (UFC 80, 104)

Memorable Events

• Champion Lyoto Machida defeated Maurico Rua in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 104.

TD Garden

Location: Boston
Opened: September 30, 1995
Capacity: 20,000
Events Held: One (UFC 118) 

Memorable Events

• Champion Frankie Edgar defeats BJ Penn in a lightweight title bout at UFC 118.

Rogers Centre

Location: Toronto
Opened: June 3rd, 1989
Capacity: 55,000+
Events Held: UFC 129 (Upcoming)

Yes, I know that the 129 event hasn't taken place yet. But with the biggest audience at an MMA event ever on tap in Toronto, the inclusion of this venue will certainly make future top venue lists as more and more locations get MMA events as the sport grows for the coming years.