Mar 30, 2022 | Entertainment, General News, Sports
Mousasi will take on undefeated Johnny Eblen live on Showtime
Bellator MMA will continue its stirring streak of impressive fight cards with a Middleweight World Championship and two Bantamweight Grand Prix quarterfinal combats this summer. The No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Gegard Mousasi (49-7-2) will defend his Bellator Middlewieght World Championship against No. 1-ranked Johnny Eblen (11-0), who’s fresh off a massive victory over previously No. 1-ranked John Salter. Mohegan Sun Arena will host the fights at 9:00pm on Friday, June 24, and will air live on Showtime.
Tickets are $225, $175, $125, $85, and $50 and go on sale Friday, April 1st at 10:00am through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning Saturday, April 2nd at 10:00am, subject to availability.
In addition, fight fans can expect a captivating supporting televised card for Bellator 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen with the remaining two Bantamweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal matchups featuring Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov (18-2-0) and Leandro “Pitbull” Higo (21-5-0). The opponents for both men will be determined by a pair of Wild Card bouts set to take place at Bellator 278 on Friday, April 22nd.
The preliminary card will feature a fantastic female flyweight fight between former title challenger and No. 5-ranked Alejandra Lara (9-5) and Team Pitbull’s Ilara Joanne (9-6), which will stream live on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, Showtime Sports YouTube channel, and Pluto TV beginning at 6:00pm on Friday, June 24th.
Given a body of work that spans nearly 20 years and 60 fights, Mousasi is widely considered one of the best fighters of all time. Having competed in multiple weight classes from welterweight to super heavyweight, Mousasi has asserted his dominance against all challengers. A two-time Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion, Mousasi enjoyed his first reign as the promotion’s 185-pound king in 2018, winning the title against Rafael Carvalho and defending it against Rory MacDonald. The Dutchman reclaimed his title in a dominant performance over Douglas Lima, who held the welterweight championship at the time, before adding successful TKO title defenses against John Salter and Austin Vanderford, both of whom were ranked No. 1 at the time of their fights. Now, Mousasi will look to defend his reign against a third straight No. 1 contender in a hungry Johnny Eblen.
A rising name amongst the Bellator MMA stable, current No. 1-ranked Johnny Eblen has impressed MMA fans with his ability to find the “cheat code” to take down his opponents. With 11 pro fights under his belt, Eblen jumped in rankings when he beat the previously top-ranked John Salter in March. Other notable finishes include conquering Daniel Madrid via a first-round TKO at Bellator 258 and Colin Huckbody via strikes in 71 seconds at Bellator 272. Eblen, who trains at American Top Team in south Florida, has “King Mo” Lawal, one of the few men to ever defeat Mousasi, among his coaches and will look to him for the blueprint to victory.
About Bellator
Bellator MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SHOWTIME. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, California and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently ranked among the top three “Arenas in the World for its Size” and top 15 in the “World for All Size Venues.” The award – winning venue is the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
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Jan 5, 2022 | Entertainment, General News
The main event between Top 10 contenders at Mohegan Sun Arena airs live on Showtime on Saturday, February 19th
Fresh off an 87-second destruction of Mark Lemminger in the co-main event of Bellator MMA 266, No. 4-ranked Neiman Gracie (11-2) will strap on the Bellator gloves for the 12th consecutive time when he takes on once-beaten and No. 5-ranked Logan Storley (12-1) in a clash of top-10 170-pounders at Bellator MMA 274: Gracie vs. Storley on Saturday, February 19th at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Tickets are $195.00, $100.00, $75.00 and $50.00 and go on sale Friday, January 7th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning Saturday, January 8th at 10:00am, subject to availability.
In the co-featured bout in Uncasville, former Bellator Welterweight Champion and No. 8 ranked Andrey Koreshkov (24-4) will return to action and open his 2022 campaign against Mukhamed Berkhamov (15-1), a winner of his last seven contests. The main card will also see undefeated Keri Taylor-Melendez (5-0) compete at flyweight against former title challenger and No. 6 ranked Veta Arteaga (6-4). A pair of heavyweights who find themselves tied at No. 8 in the official rankings will open the main card, when undefeated prospect Davion Franklin (4-0) fights Said Sowma (8-2).
Showtime will televise the Bellator MMA 274: Gracie vs. Storley main card live at 9:00pm. Additionally, the thrilling preliminary fights will stream live on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 6:00pm.
Five preliminary contests are also official for Bellator MMA 274, three lightweight bouts, the first pitting 44-fight veteran Georgi Karakhanyan (31-12-1) against Northern California’s Adam Piccolotti (12-4), a battle between two of the best nicknames in MMA, Mandel “Rat Garbage” Nallo (8-1, 1 NC) and Nick “Nyquil” Browne (12-1), as well as Corey Samuels (3-2), who won in 10 seconds in his Bellator debut, returning to face undefeated Justin Montalvo (4-0).
The final two preliminary contests will see Isaiah Hokit (0-1) move down to featherweight in his second Bellator outing, when he takes on Albert Birckhead (0-1) in his promotional debut. Lastly, top-flight bantamweight prospect Jaylon Bates (4-0) welcomes Chris Disonell (6-4) back to Bellator for the first time since 2019.
BELLATOR MMA 274: GRACIE VS. STORLEY MAIN CARD:
Saturday, February 19th – live on Showtime
9:00pm
Welterweight Main Event: #4-Neiman Gracie (11-2) vs. #5-Logan Storley (12-1)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: #8-Andrey Koreshkov (24-4) vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov (15-1)
Flyweight Bout: #6–Veta Arteaga (6-4) vs. Keri Taylor-Melendez (5-0)
Heavyweight Bout: #8-Said Sowma (8-2) vs. #8–Davion Franklin (4-0)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Bellator MMA YouTube channel | Showtime Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
6:00pm
Lightweight Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (31-12-1) vs. Adam Piccolotti (12-4)
Lightweight Bout: Mandel Nallo (8-1, 1 NC) vs. Nick Browne (12-1)
Bantamweight Bout: Jaylon Bates (4-0) vs. Chris Disonell (6-4)
Lightweight Bout: Corey Samuels (3-2) vs. Justin Montalvo (4-0)
Featherweight Bout: Isaiah Hokit (0-1) vs. Albert Birckhead (0-1)
*Card subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
About Bellator
Bellator MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Showtime. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, California and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first No. 1 Indoor Arena ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the U.S. regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named 2021 Innovator of the Year by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency. In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
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Oct 20, 2021 | Boxing, Entertainment, General News, Special Events
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Champ Sergio Pettis to defend his crown for the first time in an international showdown
It’s the most wonderful time of the year as Bellator MMA rings in the holiday season with Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis (21-5) defending his belt for the first time in an international clash against former Bellator 135-pound titleholder and current RIZIN champion Kyoji “The Typhoon” Horiguchi (29-3) at Bellator MMA 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, December 3rd.
Tickets are $195.00, $100.00, $75.00 and $50.00 and go on sale Friday, October 22nd at 10:00am through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning Saturday, October 23rd at 10:00am, subject to availability.
Two additional action-packed preliminary matchups have also been announced with a featherweight feature between Hawaii’s Keoni Diggs (9-1) and John “Platano” de Jesus (14-9), as well as a bantamweight battle between “Gentleman” Josh Hill (20-4) and Jared “Psycho” Scoggins (10-1).
SHOWTIME will televise the main card live from Mohegan Sun Arena at 10:00pm. Additionally, the thrilling preliminary fights will stream live on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 7:00pm.
“It’s always a special event when you have a champion versus champion fight,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker. “I’m excited to have Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi competing for the BELLATOR World Championship on Dec. 3. Having a strong working relationship with RIZIN has led to many strong fights between our promotions and I foresee this continuing as we look ahead to 2022.”
Pettis captured the Bellator bantamweight crown this past May at Mohegan Sun Arena by outpointing former champion Juan Archuleta in a fast-paced contest at Bellator 258. The younger brother of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis will make his fourth consecutive Bellator MMA appearance and third straight at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Hailing from Takasaki, Japan, the 31-year-old Horiguchi is the reigning RIZIN bantamweight champion who notoriously became a simultaneous, two-promotion champion in 2019 after taking down and upsetting then-Bellator champion Darrion Caldwell at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, an injury would force Horiguchi to relinquish his Bellator title in November 2019. He now looks to reclaim his belt at Bellator 272.
Additional bouts for Bellator MMA 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi will be announced in the coming weeks.
BELLATOR MMA 272: PETTIS VS. HORIGUCHI MAIN CARD:
Friday, Dec. 3 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/PT
Bantamweight World Title Bout: Champion-Sergio Pettis (21-5) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3)
BELLATOR MMA 272: PETTIS VS. HORIGUCHI PRELIMINARY CARD:
Friday, Dec. 3 – live on SHOWTIME
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Bantamweight Bout: Josh Hill (20-4) vs. Jared Scoggins (10-1)
Featherweight bout: Keoni Diggs (9-1) vs. John de Jesus (14-9)
*Card subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
About BELLATOR
BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently ranked among the top three “Arenas in the World for its Size” and top 15 in the “World for All Size Venues.” The award – winning venue is the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
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May 19, 2021 | Boxing, Breaking News, Entertainment, General News, Sports
Fans Excited to Return for Major Sports & Shows
UNCASVILLE, CT (May 19, 2021) – Mohegan Sun Arena, consistently ranked 
among the top entertainment venues worldwide according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and others, was excited this past weeknd to welcome back fans with return of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, who are currently 2-0 and led by DeWanna Bonner and Jonquel Jones. Mohegan Sun Arena’s first public concert since winter 2020 is also scheduled, when Soft-Rock duo, Air Supply, plays on Sunday, July 18th. More exciting upcoming concerts planned in Mohegan Sun Arena include Lady A on July 29th, Dustin Lynch on August 5th, Straight No Chaser on August 8th, Deftones on August 21st, Tom Segura on August 27th, Toby Keith on September 3rd and back-to-back Sebastian Maniscalco dates on October 1st and 2nd. Major 2022 Mohegan Sun Arena concerts announced recently also include The Weeknd (February 6, 2022), Brad Paisley (May 27, 2022) and Justin Bieber (June 18, 2022). Exciting MMA action returns on Friday, June 11th as well, with Lima (32-8) vs. Amasov (25-0)
With guidance and collaborative work with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department, Mohegan Sun Arena reopens with limited capacities in place during May, June and most of July. This will include private shows, CT Sun games, Bellator MMA and the return of the first public concert on July 18th. Mohegan Sun Arena plans to return to full capacity when Lady A, whose national tour starts at Mohegan Sun, performs on Thursday, July 29th. Health & safety measures will be in effect at Mohegan Sun Arena, including some limitations on food and beverage service. Tickets will also be managed electronically, with ease-of-use on smart phones included. For more information, visit mohegansun.com/arena-policies
“While much of the past year Mohegan Sun Arena was one of the few venues producing live events, it’s with great excitement we can now bring back live fans to enjoy both sports and entertainment at our world-class venue.” –said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “As the summer approaches, Mohegan Sun will also be announcing additional events and festivities to take place across our property, including some of our most popular outdoor events.”
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and an up-to-date Mohegan Sun Arena calendar for 2021 is available via mohegansun.com/arena-calendar, with highlights below:
- Air Supply | Sunday, July 18th | Tickets on-sale now
- Lady A |Thursday, July 29th | Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Dustin Lynch |Thursday, August 5th| Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Frankie Valli | Friday, August 6th |Tickets on-sale now
- An Evening with Straight No Chaser | Sunday, August 8th | Tickets on-sale now
- Jeff Dunham | Friday, August 20th | Tickets on-sale now
- Deftones | Saturday, August 21st | Tickets on-sale now
- Tom Segura| Friday, August 27th | Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Big & Rich | Wednesday, September 1st | Tickets on-sale now
- Toby Keith | Friday, September 3rd | Tickets on-sale now
- Dan + Shay | Saturday, September 11th | Tickets on-sale now
- CMN Presents Marc Anthony | Saturday, September 18th | Tickets on-sale now
- Sebastian Maniscalco | Friday, October 1st & Saturday October 2nd | Tickets on-sale now
- Harry Styles | Saturday, October 23rd | Tickets on-sale now
- The Doobie Brothers | Thursday, October 28th | Tickets on-sale now
- The Monkees Farewell Tour | Friday, October 29th | Tickets on-sale now
- Old Dominion | Saturday, October 30th | Tickets on-sale now
- Dave Matthews Band | Tuesday, November 9th & Wednesday, November 10th | Tickets on-sale now
- Chris Young | Sunday, December 5th | Tickets on-sale now
“We have been preparing for this day for a long time and we believe that being open this past year operationally makes us more than ready to safely deliver the memorable entertainment experiences that we have become known for.” Said Tom Cantone, President of Sports & Entertainment for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE). “July 18th will certainly be a special night when our first public concert returns with Air Supply taking the stage.”
For the first half of the 2021 WNBA season, leading up to the Olympic break, the Connecticut Sun will safely host their full and partial plan season ticket holders. Connecticut Sun games will also still require masks, to align with current WNBA guidelines. For more information, visit Connecticutsun.com or call 1.877.SUN.TIXX. Details on individual ticket sales will come at a later date. Upcoming CT Sun home games include May 19th vs. The Indiana Fever, May 28th vs. The Washington Mystics, June 1st vs. Las Vegas Aces, June 5th vs. the New York Liberty, June 13th vs. the Seattle Storm, June 22nd vs. The Dallas Wings and June 27th vs. The Chicago Sky.
Mohegan Sun Arena was named “Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access in part due to the transformation that Mohegan Sun Arena underwent during much of the pandemic, becoming a broadcast residency center for sports including MMA, Boxing and College Basketball. ViacomCBS and Mohegan Sun partnered to host the most championship MMA (Bellator) and Boxing fights ever held at a venue in one year, seen by millions around the world. This partnership is also currently the longest running residency in the US. In late 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena was also home to “Bubbleville,” where the Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group safely completed 26 Division 1 NCAA Men’s and Women’s games in the span of 10 days.
Just before Mohegan Sun’s temporary closure related to the pandemic last year, Bellator MMA was the last public sporting event held in Mohegan Sun Arena. On Friday, June 11th, they are now planned to be the first to welcome back fans, in limited fashion, when Douglas Lima defends his title against the undefeated and #1 ranked Yaroslav Amosov. Tickets start at $60.00 and will be available through Ticketmaster.com on Friday, May 21st, with a special presale starting on Thursday, May 20th from 10:00am – 10:00pm EST.
This fight will also be on SHOWTIME. Bellator MMA will also feature a main event between heavyweight Tim Johnson (15-6) and heavyweight Valentin Moldavsky (10-1) live from Mohegan Sun Arena, with limited fans, on Friday, June 25th. More details on these events are available via bellator.com/articles
A Hall of Fame Tip-Off NCAA Tournament is also being planned at Mohegan Sun Arena for the start of College Basketball later this year. North Carolina, Villanova, Purdue and Tennessee are expected headliners.
Additionally, Mohegan Sun’s award-winning Wolf Den venue inside Casino of the Earth is back. Limited capacity shows returned this month, and upcoming shows include local favorites Crazy on You – A Tribute to Heart, The 60s Explosion Show and Mullett, to name a few.
This past weekend, Mohegan Sun also successfully hosted the nationally televised Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, celebrating the class of 2020. The likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and other legends were on hand Saturday, May 15th, for the Enshrinement Ceremony inside Mohegan Sun Arena, which hosted 2,000 socially distanced fans. Kobe Bryant was posthumously inducted into to the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with an incredible class that included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings and more.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
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Jan 5, 2021 | Boxing, Entertainment, General News, Sports
One of the premier casino and entertainment destinations in the United States made a vital pivot during the pandemic to safely host major sports, primarily inside the award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena
UNCASVILLE, CT (January 5, 2021) – 2020 was a historic
year that resulted in every major entertainment venue across the globe shutting down due to the worst pandemic in a century, accounting for billions in lost live entertainment revenue. Mohegan Sun Arena still found a way to stay open and generate a new revenue stream by reimagining itself as a residency broadcast center. Industry leading safety protocols joined the hard-working entertainment division at Mohegan Sun, led by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) President of Sports & Entertainment, Tom Cantone – and soon major sporting events (Bellator MMA, SHOWTIME Sports and College Basketball), were planned and executed without fans in attendance. As a result, Mohegan Sun Arena became one of only few venues in the United States open and producing live events. In all, these residencies in 2020 brought in 650+ professional and college athletes competing to audiences stretching in the millions across network TV, pay-per-view, social media platforms and streaming services, the latter of which had huge impacts on increased viewership.
“We wanted to adapt in an impactful way to the unforeseen challenges that Mohegan Sun, especially our award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena, suddenly faced when the pandemic arrived,” said Dave Martinelli, Chief Marketing Officer of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE). “These high-profile sporting events that we signed on and in which were successfully and collaboratively ran, did just that.”
The first deal was struck by Cantone this past summer when a historic residency with SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA was made, creating the opportunity for a string of nationally televised and much anticipated sporting events to be featured in Mohegan Sun Arena. These live broadcast events with the ViacomCBS owned SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA, which will continue in 2021, featured Premier Boxing events on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View (PPV) as well as action packed Bellator MMA fights most frequently broadcast on the Paramount Network and CBS Sports Network. The success of the ViacomCBS residencies soon led to additional interest from other major sports – including the NCAA. Martinelli netted a deal to host 25+ Division 1 NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball teams over the course of 10 days in late November and early December 2020. The agreement came together through partnerships with The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group.
“We created positive momentum with the incredible bubble-site residencies Mohegan Sun Arena hosted for SHOWTIME Boxing and Bellator MMA,” said Cantone. “Our efforts to keep our Arena in action proved how important relationships can be and allowed for additional opportunities such as “Bubbleville” to come to fruition. Through all of these events, comprehensive health and safety standards were carried out with tremendous efficiency by everyone involved, including the healthcare professionals with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department and other healthcare teams assisting us. I’m extremely proud of what our Mohegan Sun management, team members and our partners executed in such a challenging year.”
“Bubbleville,” as it was billed and came to be known in national press coverage ahead of and during its run from November 25th – December 5th of 2020, saw multiple big-time teams from the likes of Villanova, Florida, Virginia, USC, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Uconn and Arizona State take the floor for the start of their seasons. Similar to the boxing and MMA events, in-person crowds were not present though various games were played to national audiences through ESPN networks and the online streaming platform, FLOHOOPS. After unfortunate setbacks to start, where some teams were not able to take part in “Bubbleville,” the tournaments moved forward, in large part due to the strict safety measures enacted and vital testing schedules conducted by Hartford Healthcare and Mirimus, who administered 2,800 tests among teams and staff.
“Bubbleville protocols included all teams, staff and other vital personnel like referees and broadcasters to take saliva based tests upon arrival and during their stay in the bubble,” said Dave Martinelli, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s CMO. “We hit some setbacks just as the games were set to begin, though focus wasn’t lost, and what followed was 10 days of great College Basketball under a tight system of the type rarely seen before at a casino resort destination.”
Villanova’s championship winning head coach, Jay Wright, also commented to APNews mid-way through “Bubbleville” at Mohegan Sun by saying, “You feel safe, you know you can get a game in here and you know the team you’re playing is going to be safe. I think that’s going to be important throughout this year to find environments like this.”
More than 17,000 hotel room nights were booked at Mohegan Sun’s Sky Tower and Earth Tower during these three major sporting deals. In total, Mohegan Sun gained vast exposure on a variety of media platforms including CBS Sports, ESPN, Paramount Network, Showtime Network, YouTube, the Bellator App, DAZN, TV Spots 5 UK and additional streaming services like FLOHOOPS.
“The exposure we were able to receive as part of these opportunities last year was highly significant,” said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “Bubbleville hosted a game on Thanksgiving night, live on ESPN, where the Arizona StateSun Devils battled and fell to the #4 Villanova Wildcats. This game had a household Television audience of 591,000, equating to nearly 1 million overall potential viewers. This was just one of many big-time national audiences our venue and brand was a part of in 2020.”
Additional highly rated events, live from Mohegan Sun Arena last year, included Bellator 249 (Cyborg vs. Blencowe on October 15th), Bellator 250 (Mousasi vs. Lima on October 29th) and Bellator 254 (Macfarlane vs. Velasquez on December 10th), among others. And one of the most anticipated boxing events came on September 26, 2020, when in a WBC World Middleweight title fight, Jermall Charlo defeated Sergly Derevyanchenko in a 12 round unanimous decision. Boxing history was also made on this night as the fight card included four other World Championship Title fights live from Mohegan Sun Arena and broadcast to viewers worldwide on Showtime Pay-Per-View (PPV). The pandemic created an opportunity to capture a home audience of more than 12 million viewers during the ViacomCBS broadcasts, with ratings in the double digits.
“During an unprecedented year, we found a way to generate a new revenue stream, create impactful brand exposure, fill hotel rooms and bring back an entertainment workforce,” said Cantone. “No virus could kill the spirit of this incredible team who made the words, “Live from Mohegan Sun Arena,” a monumental achievement in 2020.”
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
ABOUT MOHEGAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) is a master developer and operator of premier global integrated entertainment resorts, including Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Inspire in Incheon, South Korea, and Niagara Casinos in Niagara, Canada. MGE is owner, developer, and/or manager of integrated entertainment resorts throughout the United States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Northern Asia, Niagara Falls, Canada, and coming soon pending regulatory approval, Las Vegas, Nevada. MGE is owner and operator of Connecticut Sun, a professional basketball team in the WNBA and New England Black Wolves, a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. For more information on MGE and our properties, visit www.mohegangaming.com.
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