Saitama Super Arena

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The arena was designed by Dan Meis, then with Ellerbe Becket, together with Nikken Sekkei, selected via an international design competition. It features a gigantic movable section of seating. It is a favorite venue for puroresu and MMA, and is the only Japanese arena equipped especially for American football. It formerly housed the John Lennon Museum, which closed in 2010. The arena has undergone two renovations: the first beginning December 1, 2015, and the second beginning January 13, 2026.

In Their Own Story

Funaki's MMA career began when he founded Pancrase along with Minoru Suzuki. Funaki went on to defeat Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Minoru Suzuki, and Guy Mezger, among others. Frank Shamrock said, "Funaki was like a mad scientist. He took the idea of submissions to an even higher level than the rest of the Japanese contingent. He had this insatiable desire to learn more and push his body harder. And as an entertainer he understood the need to entertain." Funaki scored submission victories over numerous MMA champions such as Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Semmy Schilt, Guy Mezger, Yuki Kondo, Minoru Suzuki, and Bas Rutten through the course of his Pancrase career. He is the only fighter in mixed martial arts to hold wins over both Shamrock brothers and Bas Rutten, and was the first man to win the King of Pancrase title twice.

Reader's Guide

The arena has hosted New Year's Eve martial arts events since 2001, including Pride Fighting Championships (2003–2006), Yarennoka (2007), Dynamite!! (2008–2010), Fight For Japan (2011), and Dream 18 & Glory 4 (2012). Rizin Fighting Federation has held events on New Year's Day since its inaugural event on December 29 & 31, 2015. It hosted WWE Raw, SmackDown, Heat, and Velocity tapings on February 4–5, 2005. Notable boxing events include Daisuke Naito vs. Koki Kameda (November 29, 2009), Naoya Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire (November 7, 2019, and June 7, 2022), and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Tenshin Nasukawa (December 31, 2018). UFC events include UFC 144 (February 26, 2012), UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann (March 3, 2013), UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson (September 20, 2014), and UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson (September 26, 2015). Bellator 237 was held on December 29, 2019. It is one of two home arenas of the Saitama Broncos basketball team. It hosted NHL games (Nashville Predators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2000), NBA games (Seattle SuperSonics vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2003; Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors, 2019; Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards, 2022), the knockout stage of the 2006 Basketball World Championship, and basketball competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics. It hosted the 2014, 2019, and 2023 World Figure Skating Championships, and Yuzuru Hanyu's Repray Tour (November 4–5, 2023) and Echoes of Life tour (December 7, 9, and 11). Many music events have been held, including Music Station, Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, Animelo Summer Live, WIRE, and 'Dream Power' concerts by Yoko Ono. Numerous Japanese and international artists have performed.

Did You Know?

• The arena is the only Japanese arena equipped especially for American football.
• It formerly housed the John Lennon Museum, which closed in 2010.
• The arena hosted the 'Kimono Match' between Torrie Wilson and Hiroko Suzuki during WWE tapings in 2005.