Etihad Arena

Etihad Arena is an indoor arena on the Yas Bay waterfront, at the southern end of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It holds up to 18,000 guests, opened in January 2021 and is where the UFC stages its big Abu Dhabi fight nights, including UFC 333 on 24 October 2026.

The arena describes itself as the Middle East's largest state-of-the-art indoor entertainment venue. It is owned by Miral, the Abu Dhabi developer behind much of Yas Island, and operated by Ethara. Etihad Airways took the naming rights in January 2020; before that, the building was known as Yas Bay Arena while it was being built.

Where Etihad Arena is

The arena is part of Yas Bay, a mixed-use development that Miral places on the southern end of Yas Island. The waterfront around it opened on 1 December 2021, and restaurants, bars and cafes now line a promenade of about three kilometres, with more at Pier 71 on the same stretch of water.

Yas Island is also home to Yas Marina Circuit, which stages the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. One naming point catches people out every year: the Grand Prix after-race concerts take place at Etihad Park, a separate outdoor venue that used to be called du Arena. Etihad Arena is the indoor building on Yas Bay.

Capacity and layouts

The arena's own figure is 18,000 guests. When the naming deal was announced in January 2020, Miral gave the capacity as anything from 200 to 18,000, so the same room can be set for a large concert, a fight night or a much smaller corporate function. The venue also lists 3,565 square metres of versatile event space.

The arena does not publish a separate capacity for each set-up, so treat 18,000 as the ceiling rather than the figure for every event. The building was designed by HOK and was due to open in March 2020, until the pandemic pushed that back to January 2021.

Events at Etihad Arena

Mixed martial arts is what the arena is best known for. The UFC held the building's first event in January 2021, during its Fight Island period, and on 24 January 2021 Dustin Poirier stopped Conor McGregor at UFC 257 with about 2,000 people inside the new arena.

Since then the UFC has brought a numbered event to the arena each October: UFC 267 in 2021, UFC 280 in 2022, UFC 294 in 2023, UFC 308 in 2024 and UFC 321 on 25 October 2025, when Tom Aspinall's heavyweight title fight with Ciryl Gane ended as a no contest after an accidental eye poke. UFC 333 is the 12th UFC event in the building, according to The National. Our UFC numbered events page lists what is coming next.

Dmitry Bivol defended his WBA light heavyweight title against Gilberto Ramírez here on 5 November 2022. The Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks played two preseason games at Etihad Arena on 6 and 8 October 2022, which the NBA said were its first games in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf. The EuroLeague Final Four followed from 23 to 25 May 2025.

The arena also fitted a temporary pool for the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in December 2021. Concerts have included Imagine Dragons on 26 January 2023 and Guns N' Roses on 1 June 2023.

If you are weighing up Abu Dhabi against the UFC's Las Vegas nights, our guides to T-Mobile Arena and its UFC history make a useful comparison.

Getting to Etihad Arena

The National puts the drive from central Abu Dhabi at around 25 minutes and from Downtown Dubai at about one hour and 15 minutes, traffic allowing. The arena says guests can arrive by car, taxi or public transport, with ride-hailing pick-up and drop-off points close to the entrances, and that Yas Express and local bus routes connect to the venue. Shuttles and walking routes run for selected events only.

In its 2023 guide to the arena, The National described an underground car park that connects directly to the arena and the neighbouring Hilton hotel, with a valet option. Parking arrangements can change from event to event, so check the plan for your night before you travel.

Premium seating and hospitality

Etihad Arena names its own premium products. Aldar Club Seats are cinema-style seats in the centre of the arena, just off the main concourse, and access to the Aldar Club Lounge comes either in the package or as an add-on. The arena calls the lounge a premium space for before, during and after the event, and says some event profiles include an open bar.

The Hospitality Box is a semi-private area with a close-to-the-action feel, built for a smaller group. The Luxury Suites are a small number of private suites on their own floor, with catering arranged for each suite.

Record Lounge is a music-themed food and drink space inside the arena. Guests need a Record Lounge access ticket as well as a ticket for the event, and alcohol is served only to over-21s.

Prestige Corporate Events can talk you through how the club, box and suite options work on a given night, starting with UFC 333.

Photo credits: Inside Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, August 2026. Photo: JmKissme, CC0 1.0.