Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010

Myrtle Beach to host more Mixed Martial Arts fights

Card set for March 6 at Convention Center

Piggybacking on the success of the first Mixed Martial Arts event at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Jan. 23, DEA Fight Promotions of the Grand Strand will stage the second MMA fight card at the venue on March 6.

While the sold-out Jan. 23 Carolina Fight Promotions production featured three professional fights and 11 amateur bouts, the DEA card will feature approximately 15 amateur matches.

"We were really impressed with the crowd they put in there," said Andy Hall, one of a few DEA owners and the event's coordinator. "It's something that's very impressive to see, but it's not something that comes as a surprise. The popularity of this sport has just exploded."

Nine of the registered combatants are from MMA schools on the Grand Strand, and other fighters are scheduled to come from Florence, Columbia, Jacksonville, N.C.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Gainesville, Fla., and Tallahassee, Fla.

MMA events became legal in South Carolina in the past few months through a pair of rulings by the state legislature and S.C. Athletic Commission, and Hall said DEA staged the second show in the state Jan. 9 at the SportsZone complex in Little River. DEA's owners are involved in the operation of gyms and MMA studios.

"We've been promoting fights here at the beach for five years," Hall said. "We put on all the toughman contests at Club Kryptonite, but it was always our goal to have MMA fights."

DEA has expanded seating from the Jan. 23 event by about 300 to 3,800. All 20 VIP tables, each seating up to 10 people, are already sold out. Tickets for the 7 p.m. event are $60 for premium assigned bleacher seats, $40 for reserved assigned bleacher seats, and $25 for general admission bleachers. DEA is trying to improve seating arrangements to ensure reserved seat holders get their designated seats, and it will have multiple JumboTron screens in the arena.

A March 5 weigh-in will be at Kansas City Prime, in the same complex as title sponsors Tunnel Ultra Lounge and Kono Asian Grill, and a ring girl contest is tentatively scheduled for March 3 at Tunnel.

Eighteen fights are arranged, but attrition is expected because of complications including fighters not completing paperwork, passing physicals or making weight.

"That's the nature of this business," Hall said. "We plan for 20 and it usually gets cut back to 15, which is a great show."

For tickets or information, call Hall at 843-246-0574, e-mail deafighters@yahoo.com, or visit DEAfightpromotions.com or etix.com.

DEA has six more fight cards scheduled this year. The next one is in Florence, tentatively scheduled for May 1, and four will be on the Strand. Two of the Strand events events will be at outdoor venues, including one on June 5.

Hall expects to have some pro fights included in upcoming cards. Among the few differences between pro and amateur rules: amateurs are not allowed to throw elbows or knees to the head, or attempt submissions below the waist, Hall said.

Carolina Fight Promotions has MMA events scheduled at the convention center in June and August.