Source: Alan Blondin - Sun News

MYRTLE BEACH -- Nissen Osterneck has traveled to Brazil, Texas, Ohio, Florida and Georgia to fight in Mixed Martial Arts events, including productions staged by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Thanks to a recent law change, he's finally getting to fight in the one place he's always wanted to: Myrtle Beach. Osterneck, who has residences in Myrtle Beach and Hawaii, is in the featured bout in Saturday's inaugural Bash at the Beach presented by Carolina Fight Promotions at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

"I've wanted to do this ever since I've started," said Osterneck, who met with local politicians to push legalization of MMA events and the hosting of one locally. "I've always been the bad guy, so this is going to be the first time in my career that I'm going to be the hometown favorite."

He's not alone, as most of the 14 fights scheduled Saturday have at least one combatant residing on the Grand Strand.

"They've never been able to fight in South Carolina before," said Jay Dennis, match maker for Carolina Fight Promotions who also trains and/or manages several participants. "We've always had to don the black hat. We've never gotten to wear the white hat before, and they don't have to travel and run around and try to make weight [on the road] and stay in a hotel."

Eleven amateur fights consisting of three 3-minute rounds begin at 7 p.m., followed by three pro fights consisting of three 5-minute rounds - barring a knockout or submission that shortens the fights. Differences include rules that prohibit amateurs from attempting knees to the head or elbows. The card also includes women.

The professional fights feature: Jon Owens of Surfside Beach, who is 6-2, against Justin Dalton (4-2) of Glade Hill, Va., at 145 pounds; kickboxing specialist Tomar 'T-Bo' Washington (2-0) of Myrtle Beach against Monte Hall (0-1) of Charlotte, N.C., at 205 pounds; and Osterneck (6-3) against Robert 'Ironman' Thompson (13-6) of Tuscaloosa, Ala., at 185 pounds.

"It's going to be a new experience being relaxed at home but also having the added pressure of everybody watching your every movement," Osterneck said. "There's a lot at stake but I'm confident and feel my skills and my training are up to par. We'll let it play out as it will, but I'm ready for war."

Osterneck is a middleweight who specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu learned under Relson Gracie and Muay Thai learned under Maurice Travis. Both of his instructors are former world champions in their respective arts.

Osterneck began his career 5-0 as a pro before he lost on a technical knockout to wrestling specialist Jake Rosholt in a nationally-televised bout on Versus on Nov. 5, 2008. "I want a rematch with that guy either in Myrtle Beach or Hawaii so I can redeem myself," Osterneck said. "I don't really care about any of my other fights, but that one everybody saw and it was my fight to lose."

Since then he lost a split decision to UFC fighter Jorge Rivera, choked out previously unbeaten fighter Kyle Bracey in Texas, and was knocked out in the first round by Gerald Harris in Texas about four months ago. He doesn't believe he had the necessary focus for the Harris bout, and said he has since recommitted himself to his MMA career. "I've reaffirmed this is what I want to do in my career," he said.

Dennis had to replace the original opponents for Osterneck and Washington, which is not uncommon in the MMA business. "It happens probably every other fight that I get my opponent changed," Osterneck said. "Sometimes two, three or four times even, so it's part of the game."

The convention center will seat 3,000 for the cage fights and will feature a large screen for the action and replays. "If they've never been to one live it's just like you see at the UFC [events]," Dennis said. "We have the lights, the sound, the big screen, the cage is the same size as UFC's cage, and we've got Thee DollHouse ring girls."

Seats closer to the ring are $40 and bleachers behind them are $35, and 32 VIP tables on the floor sold out within a week of the fight's announcement. Tickets can be purchased at www.carolinafightpromotions.com, and if any remain they'll be sold at tonight's weigh-in beginning at 7 at Broadway Louie's in Broadway at the Beach, and at the event Saturday.

The S.C. law prohibiting MMA bouts was changed by the state legislature a couple months ago to allow amateur mixed martial arts bouts, and about three weeks ago the South Carolina Athletic Commission legalized pro fights.

The fights are being sanctioned by the International Sport Karate Association, however, rather than the state commission.

The Bash at the Beach was already scheduled before the commission's vote. "We already had it going so we had to trust that it was going to happen," said Dennis, a black belt in jiu jitsu under Gracie who owns and operates a couple martial arts schools on the Strand. "Otherwise we would have spent a lot of money on advertising for nothing."

Why did Dennis and Carolina Fight Promotions owner Doug Muhle opt to host their first event in Myrtle Beach? "It only made sense because we've been doing fights in Wilmington (N.C.) three times a year and it's only an hour away," Dennis said. "... So we decided it was a logical place to go because it's untapped here. Nobody had been able to see a fight in South Carolina. They had to watch it on TV or go to North Carolina or Georgia."

The logistics of staging an event in his hometown was also attractive to Dennis, who opened his first martial arts school on the Strand in 1994, and provided him with a number of his students to fill a card and attract spectators. "It was easy to coordinate," he said.

Dennis has six fight cards in either Myrtle Beach or Wilmington planned for 2010, including events at the convention center during the Sun Fun Festival in June and in August.