Frights and fights: Halloween MMA events scheduled on the Grand Strand

Halloween is a time for frights. But this year, two Grand Strand restaurants are bringing fights into the mix.

With two events featuring professional and amateur mixed martial arts fights Halloween weekend, people in the Myrtle Beach area could have a chance to see some up close.

At Suck Bang Blow in Murrells Inlet, a costume contest with a cash prize will accompany 12 MMA fights at the event, titled “Halloween Frights and Fights,” scheduled for Oct. 30. Warfare MMA is heading the event after getting approval from the South Carolina Department of Commerce. CEO Andy Hall said a few hundred people are expected to show up to the “Halloween costume party that just happens to have awesome MMA fights.”

“We don’t want to over pack this place obviously because at the end of the day, we’re still in this mess,” he said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hall said the famous biker bar is the perfect spot for the family-friendly event, adding his own child attends many of the events he puts on.

“It’s unbelievable how big it is,” he said. “It’s perfectly set up here with the stage and everything.”

Crab Catcher’s on the Waterfront, a Little River restaurant, is hosting “Nightmare on the River” Oct. 31 as a replacement after plans to host an MMA event in the spring were derailed by the coronavirus shutdown. Crab Catcher’s President Donny Kettner expects around 400 people to show up for the event — many in costume, he hopes.

“You gotta wear a mask anyway, so you might as well wear a costume,” Kettner said.

Kettner got approval from the South Carolina Department of Commerce, though the event will be capped at 400 people instead of the approximately 550 who attended last year. Masks will be required and everything will take place outside, he said.

Crab Catcher’s has worked with Tennessee-based company Showcase MMA to put on similar events in the past.

Showcase MMA Director Casey Oxendine said the company runs events in Tennessee and the Carolinas, but there’s something unique about the Crab Catcher’s venue.

“You’ve got these fighters fighting in the cage and then you look to your right and you have the water,” he said. “It’s really one of the most beautiful backdrops for fighting in the world, really.”

Oxendine is looking forward to coupling the frights of Halloween with the fights going on in the cage. The event starts at 3 p.m. so families have enough time to get back home to do their usual Halloween activities, Oxendine said.

“I’ve done a lot of shows through the years but I haven’t done an actual Halloween show in a long time, and they’re usually really exceptional,” he said. “I love Halloween and we love fights so when we’re able to put those theatrics together it’s really cool.”

Kettner said he expects the atmosphere to be upbeat and many people bring their kids for a night out.

“It’s fun. People think MMA and they think it’s brutal,” he said. “We’ve never had any fights besides what’s going on in the cage.”

Tickets for Nightmare on the River are sold at the door or in advance at Crab Catcher’s on the Waterfront, located at 4474 Water Front Ave. in Little River. General admission is $35 and cage-side tickets are $65.

VIP tickets to Halloween Frights and Fights are selling for $100, and general admission is $50. But those who register early and dress in costume are granted free admission, Hall said.