Mohegan Sun Arena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mohegan Sun Arena

Mohegan Sun Arena after the CT class LL state championship basketball game
Mohegan Sun Arena Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Mohegan Sun Arena Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Address	1 Mohegan Sun Blvd
Location	Uncasville, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°29′28″N 72°5′23″W / 41.49111°N 72.08972°W / 41.49111; -72.08972
Operator	Mohegan Sun
Capacity	Basketball: 9,323 Concerts: 10,000 Lacrosse: 7,074
Opened	October 2001
Tenants
Mohegan Wolves (AF2) (2002–2003) Connecticut Sun (WNBA) (2003–present) New England Black Wolves (NLL) (2015–2021)
Website
http://mohegansun.com

The Mohegan Sun Arena is a large sports and entertainment building in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has 10,000 seats and is part of the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena has a big open space of 30,000 square feet (about 2,787 square meters). It was built by the Perini Building Company and first opened in October 2001.

History of the Arena

This arena has hosted many different kinds of events. It has welcomed dog shows, WWE wrestling events, and concerts from famous music artists. You can also see exciting sports like PBR events, NCAA games, and early UFC fights here. The arena has even hosted the World's Strongest Man competition.

Major TV channels like CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN, and CNN have all broadcast events from this arena.

Arena Football Fun

The Mohegan Sun Arena was once home to an arena football team called the Mohegan Wolves. This team played here from 2002 until 2004. On July 19, 2001, the city of Uncasville was chosen to have a new team in the AF2 league.

The team's name, the Mohegan Wolves, was chosen through a "Name the Team" contest. A person from Jewett City won the contest. They received season tickets and other cool prizes! The Mohegan Wolves played their first game on April 5, 2002, against the Albany Conquest.

Basketball Excitement

Since January 28, 2003, the Mohegan Sun Arena has been the official home court for the Connecticut Sun. This is a professional women's basketball team that plays in the WNBA.

In 2005, a store called "Winter Essentials" opened at the casino. It was the first store in the United States to sell professional basketball items on casino property. However, the store closed in 2008 when the casino was renovated. You could still buy Connecticut Sun merchandise at the arena during games until 2019.

The Connecticut Sun team could not play at the arena in the 2020 season. This was because the entire season was moved to Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the 2020 season, the arena started hosting college basketball games again in November 2020. No fans were allowed to watch these games in person.

Lacrosse Action

On April 21, 2002, the Mohegan Sun Arena hosted the 2002 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game. In this game, the North Division team beat the South Division team 14–10. Steve Toll was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game.

On August 5, 2014, a new team, the New England Black Wolves, moved to the Mohegan Sun Arena. They played their first home game in 2015 and won against the Buffalo Bandits. Over 5,700 fans came to watch! The team later moved in 2021 and is now called the Albany FireWolves.

Mixed Martial Arts Fights

The Mohegan Sun Arena hosted its first mixed martial arts (MMA) event on January 11, 2002. This was UFC 35, featuring a main fight between Jens Pulver and B.J. Penn. The UFC also held UFC 45 at the arena.

Bellator MMA has also held many events at the Mohegan Sun Arena since 2009. These events are often shown on TV.

• 2009: Bellator 2, Bellator 11
• 2010: Bellator 15
• 2011: Bellator 39, Bellator 48
• 2012: Bellator 63
• 2013: Bellator 98
• 2014: Bellator 110, Bellator 123
• 2015: Bellator 134, Bellator 140, Bellator 144
• 2016: Bellator 153, Bellator 163
• 2017: Bellator 178, Bellator 185
• 2018: Bellator 194, Bellator 207
• 2019: Bellator 215, Bellator 216
• 2021: Bellator 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz

Professional Wrestling Shows

The arena has often hosted different WWE wrestling events. This includes popular TV shows like Raw, SmackDown, and Main Event.

Arena Seating and Awards

The seating in the Mohegan Sun Arena is very flexible. It can be set up for many different sports like basketball, boxing, bowling, rodeo, and lacrosse. It can also be changed for various types of concerts, whether it's a full house or a smaller show.

The arena has won awards for being one of America's most modern concert venues. It received the Country Music Award for "Casino of the Year" in 2008 and 2010. Billboard Magazine also ranked it as the 4th best venue.

Special Events Held Here

Mohegan Sun Arena during a concert

The Mohegan Sun Arena has been the site of many important events:

• WNBA All-Star Game – 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015
• National Lacrosse League 2002 All-Star Game
• American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament (2014–2020)
• Big East women's basketball tournament (2021 and beyond)
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2020 enshrinement ceremony – May 15, 2021

NBA Games Played Here

The arena has also hosted some exciting NBA preseason games.

Strongman Competitions

Since 2005, the arena has hosted big international strongman events. These competitions feature some of the strongest people in the world!

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place	Event Name
2005	Mariusz Pudzianowski	Jessen Paulin	Don Pope	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2005
2006	Mariusz Pudzianowski	Jesse Marunde	Josh Thigpen	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2006
2007	Mariusz Pudzianowski	Kevin Nee	Mark Felix	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2007
2008	Derek Poundstone	Mariusz Pudzianowski	Terry Hollands	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2008
2009	Derek Poundstone	Travis Ortmayer	Brian Shaw	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2009 May 17, 2009 Start of Giants Live 2009
2010	Derek Poundstone	Brian Shaw	Stojan Todorchev	Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2010 April 25, 2010 Start of WSM Super Series 2010

See also

In Spanish: Mohegan Sun Arena para niños