Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
Myrtle Beach gets ready to rumble...MMA Style
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The Grand Strand has a strong sports history - the Senior PGA Tour Championship, an LPGA Tour event, a NASCAR Busch Series and minor-league football, basketball, hockey and soccer franchises. Unfortunately, all are exactly that - history, as in no longer in existence in the area.
Whether due to a lack of support, sponsorships or the facilities, the past decade has witnessed all these events and franchises relocate, become homeless or go belly-up. The Grand Strand has tried to make strides in the sports- tourism game but with little success in attracting big-time events.
But that may all change Saturday night when the inaugural "Bash at the Beach" brings mixed martial arts fighting to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for the first time. Carolina Fight Promotions, which is putting on the event, believes it may have found the ultimate match in MMA and Myrtle Beach.
A new state law allowing professional MMA fights to be held in the Palmetto State has brought a flood of interest from promoters looking to pin their hopes on the S.C. coast.
"We've been successful everywhere we've gone, but we're reallly excited about Myrtle Beach," said Doug Muhle, general manager for CFP. "Anytime we come into an area where it's been banned it's a hit, but take a tourist town like Myrtle Beach and all the hotels and restaurants, it's a natural fit."
Local leaders, businesses, fighters and fans alike believe this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between one of the nation's top tourist destinations and the world's fastest-growing sport. With scores of locals and tourists catching the MMA bug, it seems like a can't-miss match.
But is MMA fighting the right fit for Myrtle Beach? Will it pack the right punch for the area or simply be the latest local sports venture to tap out?
The Right To Fight
As was the case in most states, "human fighting" outside of sanctioned boxing and professional wrestling was illegal in the state of South Carolina.
As MMA began to grow in popularity and credibility, states felt the pressure to legalize it and bring a new form of revenue into their coffers.
After bordering states North Carolina and Georgia gave the thumbs-up to MMA fighting in recent years, S.C. amended its laws effective last June. Carolina Fight Promotions played a key role in overturning the laws in North Carolina and soon turned its attention to moving south of the border.
"We formed basically as a partnership to make mixed martial arts legal in North Carolina," said Muhle, who joined forces with Jason Culbreth as the sole sponsors of the Tarheel State bill, which took effect in 2007. "Once we got the ball rolling here, we started looking to do the same thing in South Carolina."
But there was one giant loophole in the law that prevented MMA from coming to the Palmetto State much sooner. It seemed lower-level amateur events were ready to rumble, but there was no permitting process in place to give professional MMA fights the green light until the start of 2010.
Once that issue was resolved, the Grand Strand became ground zero for the various MMA organizations looking to expand into uncharted waters.
"I don't know much about [MMA] except every time I turn on the TV it's on," joked Brian Monroe, director of marketing for the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. "I know the people who put it on are excited about coming to Myrtle Beach. After the state signed off on it we've had lots of promoters calling."
In fact, another, smaller MMA promotional company beat CFP to the punch by holding the inaugural "Rage in the Cage" event on Jan. 9 at the SportsZone complex in Little River and it already has plans to return in April. But that's possibly small potatoes compared to the 3,400-seat venue set for Saturday.
"The people of South Carolina better buckle their seat belts because it's about to get real," said Muhle. "They may have seen it on TV but that's nothing like seeing it live. It's a great show and great sport."
The 411 on MMA
Like food, every culture has its own distinct flavor of fighting tradition and style. With that said, think of MMA as an international all-you-can-eat buffet.
Boxing, kick-boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, catch wrestling, shoot wrestling, karate, kung fu, jujitsu, judo - you name it, good MMA fighters use it.
It blends fighting disciplines from all over the world into one, allowing fighters from different backgrounds to compete on equal ground in the cage.
Although similar forms of fighting can be dated back to ancient times, the modern sport's roots can be traced back to the early 1900s in the Pacific Rim. The Gracie family in Brazil played a major role in the sport's development, but the man who popularized it around the globe was Bruce Lee.
The 1960s and early '70s martial artist/film star believe the best fighter was not a boxing, karate or judo fighter, but one who could adapt to all styles. Lee created a fighting philosophy known as Jeet Kune Do, a compilation of multiple existing disciplines, which many MMA fighters still use today.
The rules are few but strict - no head-butting, eye-gouging, biting or any dirty moves that can do serious damage to an opponent. Fighters face off in a cage for three-to-five minute rounds with one-minute breaks. Fights are stopped by submission or "tapping out," decision, disqualification or injury.
"People get us confused with pro wrestling or tough-man competitions, but it's not even close," Muhle said. "Pro wrestling is entertainment and half the crowd at a tough-man contest can beat up the drunks that get in the ring. Our guys are pros. They fight for a living. They are the best of the best."
As the sport began to gain popularity around the world, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) was formed to bring the various groups under one umbrella. Although smaller outfits still exist, like the one bringing the Bash at the Beach to town, they operate under the same rules and guidelines.
Over the past two decades, when pro boxing was out of control and pro wrestling became more of a show than a sport, MMA has exploded in popularity in the U.S. and around the globe. The UFC's pay-per-view events are the top grossing in history and arenas are standing-room only.
"Mixed martial arts was once regarded by many as pure blood sport," wrote TV columnist Andy Bernstein in the Sports Business Journal. "It's only a recent development that it's become a prime-time staple, as acceptable as boxing or professional wrestling but increasingly more popular."
Tapping into the Beach
If anyone is an expert on both the sport of mixed martial arts and the entertainment industry on the Grand Strand, it's Gary Alexander.
The S.C. native lived in Myrtle Beach for eight years as a singer, dancer, comedian and all-around entertainer at various theaters around town.
After traveling on the cruise-ship circuit for a few years, he settled down in Las Vegas to do what he does best when he discovered his second calling.
Alexander began training in boxing and fell in with the crowd that was making MMA happen across the U.S. Now he's a big-time player in the sport.
"I fell in love with it and wanted to see if there was a way to make a living doing what I enjoy," said Alexander, who launched an MMA clothing line, magazine and podcast while also working as an announcer and TV host for events. "I love the competition and the comradery among the fighters."
Alexander runs the North American operations for "Fighters Only" magazine, the No. 1 MMA publication worldwide, and his "Ultimate Podcast" is the top-rated MMA show on the Web for four years running. He has interviewed all the sport's heavy hitters and has had a ring-side seat to a wild show.
"Everywhere I go we're playing in front of huge, packed arenas and people are lined up outside to get in," Alexander said. "It's a perfect environment for sports and entertainment. There's nothing else like it. People come for the first time out of curiosity and the excitement keeps them coming back."
Alexander works primarily with UFC events and has no experience with Carolina Fight Promotions, which is putting on the show in Myrtle Beach. But he believes if CFP uses the same formula of sports and entertainment that has made the UFC successful, Myrtle Beach fans are in for a real treat.
"Myrtle Beach is an excellent place for MMA and that's the main reason I'm coming, to help it be a success in my old hometown," said Alexander, who is waiving his fee for working the event. "Mix a popular vacation spot with the fastest growing sport in the world and I don't think you can miss."
Hometown Heroes
Not only will the Bash at the Beach be the first time local fight fans get to see many MMA pros in their own backyards, but it's also an opportunity for local fighters to mix it up in front of a hometown crowd. They hope the support will provide an extra boost when they step into the cage.
"It's a good opportunity for us because we're used to being the ones getting booed," said Myrtle Beach's Tomar Washington, who will fight Dean Hamilton in the penultimate 205-pound weight class. "Every fight I've had has been on the road so it will be nice to be here at home for a change."
Washington, a personal trainer at Fitness Edge and a ticket-taker at the House of Blues, said local fans are in for a treat as well. With a strong background in boxing, kick-boxing, judo and jujitsu, Washington is 4-0 since getting into MMA five years ago and says there's nothing like the rush.
"People ask me what it's like and I tell them to put 12-pound weights on their legs and run a mile. That's what it feels like before the fight because of all the nervous energy," Washington said. "You get so jacked up to fight that you're already spent. It's a different story when you get in that cage."
Washington has learned to control his emotions and other elements of MMA from local pro Nissen Osterneck, who will headline Saturday's card against Robert Thompson in the 185-pound division. Osterneck, who has been featured previously in Weekly Surge, is a pro and has fought at the top levels of MMA, like the UFC and WEC organizations.
"Nissen has been a big help to me. He took me under his wing and really your trainer makes you who you are as a fighter," Washington said. "Now I do the same with the other local fighters. We get together and train. It really helps to have people from different backgrounds to work out with."
Washington and Osterneck will be joined by a number of locals on the undercard, including pro Amos Collins and amateurs Chris Clark and female fighter Jordan McDonald (who was featured in Weekly Surge's cover story Aug. 13 about local female surfers). The local flavor will only add to the excitement for the fighters and for the fans who might be witnessing their first MMA event live, he said.
"It's not like a barroom brawl. It's like an art form like you've never seen before," Washington said. "I can't wait to show what I can do in the cage. I've never had a fight go to a decision before and I don't plan to start now. I'm going all out so somebody had better bring my opponent a pillow." There's some bulletin board, trash-talk material for you.
Fight Game Future
The Bash at the Beach may be Myrtle Beach's first big-time MMA event, but it shouldn't be the last. Promoters are already lining up to land on the Strand.
Other MMA organizations will be watching closely to see how successful Saturday night's event will be. A big draw should mean many more to come.
"Anytime you select Myrtle Beach you're hoping the destination will improve attendance," said Monroe, noting the benefits to the city whether the event brings in locals who go to dinner in town or tourists who stay the night in hotels. "We are setting up to seat 3,400 and they expect to sell out."
The convention center has the ability to expand to accommodate larger crowds in the future if needed. Carolina Fight Promotions is banking on it.
"It looks good based on what we've seen so far," Muhle said. "We've already sold all 40 VIP tables, half the tickets have been sold and we expect the rest to vaporize this week. We're testing the waters at 3,400 and we're confident we can do that and more when we come back in June and August."
CFP already has plans on those future dates, when tourists will be in town to add to the numbers and other MMA promoters have their eyes on other dates, too. Similarly-sized events are being planned for Florence, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, but Myrtle Beach has the potential to be a hot spot.
"Imagine in the summer when you have all the tourists in town and there's a big MMA fight at the convention center," Alexander said. "I know there's a lot of crossover in the MMA fan base and people who vacation in Myrtle Beach. You get a small percentage of them and you've got a huge event."
That's good news for Myrtle Beach, which has tried to promote sports-tourism as a means of boosting the struggling local economy and for promoters looking for new venues to further grow the sport. But most of all, it's good news for area MMA fans, who now get the chance to see their sport live without travelling out-of-state.
"I would love to see MMA catch on in Myrtle Beach to bring another form of revenue here," said local musician and MMA fan Stevie McLlendon in an email. "It would be great for Myrtle Beach to be the new MMA hot spot."
