Etihad Arena

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

Etihad Arena is located on the waterfront of Yas Bay on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and, with 18,000 seats, is the largest indoor events venue in the Middle East. The venue opened in January 2021 and immediately became the UFC's regular venue in the Gulf region.

Facilities

Capacity and seating places

Configurable room layout

Parking and transport

Private parking lot

Disabled parking spaces

Accessibility

Wheelchair spaces in the venue

Elevators and automatic doors

Hospitality

Boxing trunks and suits

History

During construction, the building was still called Yas Bay Arena. In January 2020, Etihad Airways purchased the naming rights. The opening was scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed until January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The design won the MENA Green Building Award for sustainable building design of the year in 2018. The owner is Miral, while operations are handled by Ethara.

Building and architecture

The building was designed by the architecture firm HOK and draws inspiration from Arab culture. It is part of a 35,000-square-metre waterfront development with a three-kilometre boulevard.

The venue itself offers 3,565 square metres of flexible event space and has sixteen VIP suites.

Atmosphere and experience

With 18,000 seats this is the largest indoor venue in the Middle East. For the World Swimming Championships in December 2021, a swimming pool was even temporarily installed inside.

Famous fighters

The UFC first fought on Yas Island behind closed doors in the bubble that was called Fight Island The very first event in the arena itself, UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar, was the first with an audience, albeit a limited one. Chiesa vs. Magny followed days later, and UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 took place that same month UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2.

Since then, the venue has hosted the annual October gala: UFC 267 in 2021, UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev in 2022, UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 in 2023, UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway in 2024, UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane in 2025, and UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev in 2026.

In boxing, the exhibition bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Don Moore took place here on May 21, 2022, followed by the WBA light heavyweight title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramírez on November 5, 2022.

Visitor information

Location. The arena is located on Yas Bay Waterfront on Yas Island, seven minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Parking. There is ample parking at the venue and in the surrounding area; check your ticket for details. Designated accessible parking spaces and a separate drop-off and pick-up area are available.

Accessibility. The venue is fully accessible and has wheelchair spaces at every event, although their location varies depending on the layout. Elevators and escalators connect all levels, and accessible restrooms are available on every floor except the mezzanine, on both the north and south sides.

Contact details