Who’s In Vegas Arena First?

As a $375 million arena is under construction on the Las Vegas Strip, there’s already a race to see who can land its opening event.

Photo: Isaac Brekken / Getty Images for MGM Resorts

MGM Resorts Int’l CEO Jim Murren and AEG CEO Dan Beckerman pose for the May 1 groundbreaking of the $375 million, 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas. Others attending included Golden Boy Promotions’ Richard Schaefer, Floyd Mayweather Jr., sportscasters Bill Walton and Jim Gray.

The Academy of Country Music wants to be the first, for a broadcast of its ACM awards in early April 2016, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

But so does the hometown Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, which also wants to christen the 20,000-seat arena once it’s completed.

The venue is being built by a partnership between MGM Resorts International and AEG.

“We’re thinking it would be a big thing to open it up with a TV show,” Academy of Country Music CEO Bob Romeo told the paper. “Look at the television exposure it would create for the building. We get 14 million to 15 million viewers.”

UFC sates its events at MGM properties including Mandalay Bay Events Center and the MGM Grand Garden arena. And the Review-Journal also reports that there are boxing promoters eyeing the venue’s debut as well.

AEG chief exec Dan Beckerman strikes a diplomatic tone in the face of competing interests, saying his vision for the grand opening includes a series of events capable of accommodating the ACM, UFC and boxing promoters.

“We’re building this arena to host a wide variety of shows,” Beckerman told the paper.

What is certain is the venue’s first basketball game is already on the calendar: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas Running Rebels will play the Duke Blue Devils Dec. 16, 2015.

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