A quick look inside the United Center, site of UFC on Fox 2 this Saturday in the Windy City ...
Built: August 1994
Cost: $175 million
Seating Capacity: 20,916
Architect: Populous
The Ultimate Fighting Championship lands in Chicago for the first time in more than three years, with UFC on Fox 2 on Saturday at the United Center. A pivotal light heavyweight matchup between former champion Rashad Evans and unbeaten four-time NCAA All-American wrestler Phil Davis will headline the event, which will air live on the Fox network. The remainder of the three-fight main draw will feature a pair of middleweight bouts, as Chael Sonnen meets “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping and undefeated prospect Chris Weidman battles 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Demian Maia.
Home to the Chicago Bulls of the NBA and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL, the United Center was erected in August 1994 at a cost of $175 million. 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 960,000-square-foot facility rests on 46 acres, west of the Chicago Loop -- the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago. One of the United Center’s primary drawing cards, a 17-foot, 2,000-pound statue of Bulls legend Michael Jordan, stands outside its doors. Cast in bronze, the statue was unveiled in November 1994, following Jordan’s first retirement.
The United Center has played host to a number of historic sporting events, including the 1996, 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals and the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. It was also the site of the 1996 Democratic National Convention, as President Clinton accepted his party’s unanimous nomination en route to his second term in the White House.
Disney on Ice “Dare to Dream” (Feb. 1-12), Van Halen (Feb. 24), The Black Keys (March 19) and the McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Games (March 28) will follow the UFC into the United Center.