There are too many events to count over the last 10 years, countless ones that have made T-Mobile Arena the home venue for massive sports gatherings in Las Vegas.
The place that is now a decade old has hosted memorable moments in the local sports landscape.
Here are just some that throughout the years have had an impact across Southern Nevada.
Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, 2023
What a way to end a Stanley Cup final series. The Knights won their championship in five games, blowing out Florida 9-3 in the decisive one before a delirious 19,058. Mark Stone scored a hat trick, and Jonathan Marchessault ended the postseason with a 10-game points streak, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. The Golden Knights have always been flashy but no in-game entertainment topped the feeling of players skating around the ice holding aloft the Cup.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, 2017
This was billed as The Money Fight; Boxing vs. MMA: Champion of Champions and The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History. It was a professional boxing crossover match that saw Mayweather run his record to 50-0 with a TKO in the 10th round. Mayweather reportedly earned $280 million from the fight and McGregor $130 million. It was fought at light middleweight and recorded the second-highest pay-per-view buy rate in history.
Golden Knights following 1 October, 2017
Who can forget the emotional speech given by then-Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland just days following the Route 91 Harvest musical festival shooting? It was the team’s first regular-season home game in history and Las Vegas was stricken with grief. The town needed something to cheer for, and its first major league professional sports franchise obliged. It beat Arizona 5-2 that evening, and Engelland’s words of “We are Vegas Strong” lifted the spirits of an entire community.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin I, II and III, 2017, 2018, 2022
Fans had been demanding such a matchup for some time before these two finally agreed. And despite Golovkin dominating much of the first fight, it was scored a split draw. The rematch saw the fourth-largest gate all-time in Las Vegas history watch Alvarez score a close majority decision and claim the unified middleweight world championship. He then retained the title with a unanimous decision in the third fight.
Caitlin Clark (Indiana) vs. Aces, 2024
An enormous gathering of 20,366 packed the arena to watch Clark and her Fever teammates face off with the hometown team. It was the largest regular-season WNBA crowd since 1999 and the fifth-largest all-time. The Aces prevailed 88-69, and Clark struggled shooting to reach her 13 points, making 4-of-12 attempts. She added 11 assists and six rebounds.
UFC 216 following 1 October, 2017
UFC president Dana White was intent on moving forward with the event to continue the healing of the town. The UFC even shifted away from normal protocol by having someone perform the national anthem before the pay-per-view portion of the card. But Everlast chose instead to sing “America the Beautiful.” It was a touching scene to be sure, one that included 1,500 victims and first responders from the shooting.
UFC 229 post-fight brawl, 2018
The title match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor didn’t end when the fighting stopped via the former submitting McGregor in the fourth round. Nurmagomedov immediately left the Octagon to confront McGregor’s corner. McGregor ended up in a tussle with members of Nurmagomedov’s team inside the cage.
Strawther’s shot, 2023
Julian Strawther, the Las Vegas native and former Liberty High star, made a shot that led Gonzaga past UCLA in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Strawther’s dramatic 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left lifted the Zags over the Bruins 79-76. It answered an earlier 3 by UCLA’s Amari Bailey. The Bruins had stormed back from an eight-point deficit in the final 1:05 and took a 76-75 lead on Bailey’s make with 12.2 seconds left. But then Strawther stepped into his shot to send the Zags to the Elite Eight.
COVID cancels Pac-12 Tournament, 2020
The conference followed the lead of other leagues across the nation and canceled the remaining games of its event because of concerns over the coronavirus. The decision was made to suspend all Pac-12 sports competitions and championships immediately.
Golden Knights fall in Cup Final, 2018
The Knights lost to Washington in five games, ruining a chance for the Las Vegas expansion team to win a title in its first season of existence. This was the first Finals series since 2007 where neither team had previously won the Stanley Cup. Washington won the clinching game 4-3 and celebrated on the T-Mobile ice. Alex Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Duke crushes UNLV, 2016
The standing-room only crowd of 19,107 was the highest attendance for a basketball game in Las Vegas since 1991, during UNLV’s back-to-back Final Four runs under Jerry Tarkanian. Too bad the Rebels couldn’t put up more of a fight in front of such a large gathering. Grayson Allen scored a career-high 34 points, and Duke ran away from the Rebels 94-45. It was the first college basketball game in T-Mobile history.
NBA Cup, 2023-25
The league’s in-season tournament has held its semifinals and finals at T-Mobile Arena the past three years. The titles have been won by the Lakers, Bucks and Knicks. Starting with the 2027 NBA Cup, semifinal round games will be held at the home arena of each conference’s higher-seeded team instead of at a neutral site. The final will still be played at a neutral site.
UFC 200, 2016
The women’s bantamweight title changed hands for the third time in 238 days as Amanda Nunes dominated Miesha Tate in the main event. Before a sold out crowd, Daniel Cormier overcame the failed drug test of Jon Jones to beat Anderson Silva, and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar scored a decision victory against Mark Hunt. The fight was later called a “no contest,” after Lesnar failed two U.S. Anti-Doping Association drug tests surrounding his return to mixed martial arts.
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.