Inside the Venue: Bridgestone Arena
A quick look inside the Bridgestone Arena, site of UFC on FX 1
“Guillard vs. Miller” on Friday in Tennessee ...
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Built: December 1996
Cost: $144 million
Seating Capacity: 17,133
Architect: Populous
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Nashville, Tenn., for
the first time in nearly two years with UFC on FX 1
“Guillard vs. Miller” on Friday at the Bridgestone Arena. A
high-stakes battle between lightweight contenders Melvin
Guillard and Jim Miller
will headline the event, which will air live on the FX network. The
remainder of the main draw will feature a welterweight scrap
pitting Duane Ludwig
against Josh Neer, a
bantamweight duel matching Mike Easton
with Jared
Papazian and a heavyweight bout pairing Pat Barry with
Christian
Morecraft.
Home to the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators, the Bridgestone Arena -- originally known as the Nashville Arena -- opened in December 1996 at a cost of $144 million. The project was financed by general obligations bonds from the City of Nashville. The arena, which touts 70 luxury suites and 1,850 club seats, serves a population base of roughly one million in the Music City. The Bridgestone Arena also features a 22-story tower, which houses the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau and a small theater. It was designed by Populous, the same architectural firm responsible for Yankee Stadium in New York, AT&T Park in San Francisco, Target Field in Minneapolis and Olympic Stadium in London. The facility faces the Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
The UFC last visited Nashville in April 2009, as Carlos Condit defeated Martin Kampmann by split decision in the UFC Fight Night 18 main event. The arena also hosted the Strikeforce “Nashville” show in 2010, which aired on CBS and concluded with an infamous post-fight brawl between Jason “Mayhem” Miller and prominent members of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team: Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (Jan. 26-29), Monster Jam (Feb. 10-11), Drake (Feb. 17), Jason Aldean (Feb. 24) and Van Halen (April 27) will follow the UFC into the Bridgestone Arena.
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Built: December 1996
Cost: $144 million
Seating Capacity: 17,133
Architect: Populous
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Home to the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators, the Bridgestone Arena -- originally known as the Nashville Arena -- opened in December 1996 at a cost of $144 million. The project was financed by general obligations bonds from the City of Nashville. The arena, which touts 70 luxury suites and 1,850 club seats, serves a population base of roughly one million in the Music City. The Bridgestone Arena also features a 22-story tower, which houses the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau and a small theater. It was designed by Populous, the same architectural firm responsible for Yankee Stadium in New York, AT&T Park in San Francisco, Target Field in Minneapolis and Olympic Stadium in London. The facility faces the Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
The UFC last visited Nashville in April 2009, as Carlos Condit defeated Martin Kampmann by split decision in the UFC Fight Night 18 main event. The arena also hosted the Strikeforce “Nashville” show in 2010, which aired on CBS and concluded with an infamous post-fight brawl between Jason “Mayhem” Miller and prominent members of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team: Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (Jan. 26-29), Monster Jam (Feb. 10-11), Drake (Feb. 17), Jason Aldean (Feb. 24) and Van Halen (April 27) will follow the UFC into the Bridgestone Arena.
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