Ohio bound: UFC books March date in Columbus for first time in 11 years

The UFC is heading back to Ohio for the first time in three and a half years, and to the capital city for the first time in 11 years.

Thursday, the promotion announced a return trip to Columbus for March. The “Fight Night” event, which doesn’t yet have an announced headliner or broadcast information, will take place at Nationwide Arena on March 28. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Jan. 31.

The UFC made annual visits to Columbus from 2007-2009 coinciding with the weekend of the Arnold Sports Festival and Arnold Classic just a couple blocks away from Nationwide Arena. But the promotion hasn’t visited the city since 2009 and instead went to Cincinnati in 2014 and Cleveland in 2016.

In 2010, instead of the UFC, WEC 47 set up shop at Nationwide Arena and saw Dominick Cruz win the bantamweight title against Brian Bowles. And the following two years, Strikeforce held events there during the Arnold weekend. In 2012, Ronda Rousey submitted Miesha Tate to win Strikeforce’s women’s bantamweight title in the arena.

Nationwide Arena opened in 2000 and has a capacity of around 20,000 fans. It is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL team.