UFC 140 Marks Another Milestone First for the Air Canada Center in Toronto

UFC 140 is set to take place at the Air Canada Center in downtown Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 10 and the event will mark the first time the world class arena will host the UFC or any MMA promotion.

The 19,800 seat, multi-purpose facility is home to The Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Toronto Raptors of the NBA and has hosted many events and stars in it's 12-year history. Here is a quick look at a some of the "firsts" in the ACC's existence.

First Hockey Game 

The first Maple Leafs home game took place on Feb. 20, 1999, against fierce long-time rival The Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs won the game 3-2 in overtime on a goal by veteran Steve Thomas.

In a cool, personal case of six degrees of the ACC, the first goal ever scored in the arena was scored by then-Maple Leaf winger and childhood friend Todd Warriner, whom I played hockey with.

First Basketball Game

The first Raptors game took place the next day Feb. 21, 1999, against the Vancouver Grizzlies who have since relocated to Memphis.

The Raptors won 102-87 and were led by rookie Vince Carter. The game is played before a sellout crowd of 19,800.

First Pro Wrestling Event 

The first professional wrestling event to be held at the ACC was WCW Monday Night Nitro in March of 1999. It was the also the first Nitro television show ever filmed in Canada.

In this classic episode, wrestling legends Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page argued in the ring while longtime legend Sting made his return staring down from the rafters. Page took on Hollywood Hogan in the main event.

First Concert

The first concert held at the ACC took place on Feb. 22, 1999, as The Tragically Hip, one of Canada's most popular rock band's plays to a sold out crowd. Many of The Hip's songs are treasured across Canada, with titles like Fifty Mission Cap and Fireworks, telling tales of Canadian hockey history.

Bon Jovi hold the record for most shows in one tour with five with U2, Spice Girls, The Police and Rush next with four.

First Mixed Martial Arts Event

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida is set for next Saturday Dec. 10, and will feature a fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight title between Jon Jones defending against Lyoto Machida. The card will have 12 fights in total with seven of them featuring top Canadian fighters.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.