Heart & Soul of MMA: Mike Wessel looking for heavy challenges

By Jeff Larsen

x (talent) + y (hard work) = z (winning) z (winning) + a (luck/the attention of a big organization) = b (professional success)

The two equations above sum up the extent of most fighters’ career planning. You take the talents you’ve been blessed with, work hard to maximize them, and this will result in winning fights. Add in a little luck and, eventually, someone will take notice of your winning. Then, walla! You are a successful athlete fighting for a big organization while finally enjoying the fruits of your labors.

Of course, it’s not that simple. But the equations do provide a basic formula for ascension through various strata of the sport. And while the variables talent and hard work are discussed ad nauseam, the luck portion of the equation is often left unconsidered and open for definition and distribution by managers, agents and promoters.

In reality, a fighter’s ability to receive the attention of an influential promoter or match maker has less to do with chance and more to do with the fighter’s preparedness to perform and impress once an opportunity arises. There were several fighters on the card when Dana White went to scope Drew Fickett for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. But it was Kenny Florian who was prepared to impress. Countless fighters have been called up to a larger promotion on short notices. But how many of those were able to demonstrate that they truly belonged?

Unfortunately, sometimes a fighter can prepare himself and yet still not get an opportunity to make an impression. Such is the case of Mike Wessel an 8-1 heavyweight fighting out of Little Rock Arkansas.

As a 6’0, 255lbs nose tackle coming out of the University of St. Francis in Indiana, Wessel made a large enough impression on the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers to be invited to their pre-season camps. Although he got cut, the Celina, OH native did realize his dream to play professional football in the Arena League playing for the San Diego Riptide and for the NIFL’s Bismarck Roughriders.

When his football career ended, Wessel took a position as strength and conditioning coach for the University of Arkansas’s Razorbacks.

“I’ve always been a football guy. I’m from Ohio and that’s all we do is watch football. I kind of watched [an old UFC] with a buddy of mine and said, ‘I know I could do that,’” Wessel says.

And in March of 2006, after a little instruction from a martial arts/kickboxing instructor that worked with the Razorback football team, Wessel decided to prove it. Wessel ended up mowing through all six of his amateur fights, ending each one by first round knockout.

Through the martial arts instructor, Wessel became acquainted with Westside Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Little Rock. There he met his future manager Matt Hamilton and black belt and current TUF house member Roli Delgado. The camaraderie of the fight team filled a gap left by football for Wessel.

“I was sitting there, coaching the Razorbacks at the Capitol One Bowl game, and I was talking to a good friend. I said, ‘I want to make a living doing [MMA].’ He goes, ‘Are you serious?’ I said, ‘Man, I ain’t getting any younger. I can always come back to coaching when I’m 40. I need to take a shot now if I’m ever going to make a shot,’” Wessel recalls saying.

His shot, so far, seems on target. He has posted an 8-1 record finishing five of his opponents and avenging his only loss, which came in just his second fight. He has also posted two big wins in the Art of War promotion.

“At one time, I had a chance to fight Kimbo Slice before Bo Cantrell.” recalls Wessel. “I think his name is Rich, from EliteXC, called my manager and they offered a fight and I said, ‘Hell yeah! I’d love to fight Kimbo.’ ‘Cause I knew I could beat him. I know I could beat him. Of course, that didn’t pan out after they saw the Art of War thing.”

Offers for other fights seemed to retreat as well. “Being in Arkansas is almost like being in the middle of Guam or someplace.” says Matt Hamilton, Wessel’s manager. “Once you’ve got through the local guys, there’s not much else to do.”

Not being a ‘name’ fighter, Wessel now resides in the no man’s land that exists between obscurity and recognition. He’s unable to move forward; being a risky an opponent for most established fighters. And there is no incentive to go back to miniscule fight purses and inferior competition.

“The way it was explained to me is: I’ve got a reputation. People talk on websites that this guy’s a beast or whatever. Then people don’t want to take fights that are potentially dangerous for their fighter; which is smart.” says Wessel.

“But the way I am, I get mad and I get upset. For all these years, we played (football) every week and then we had down season. So as soon as one fight’s over I’m ready to fight again,” explains Wessel. “Sitting around for five months because opponents don’t want to fight… Well that’s not why I’m here.”

Wessel’s manager Hamilton believes their location plays a role in the lack of available fights.

“Here in Arkansas, we’re so far out of the loop.” says Hamilton. “The guys that are good outgrow these shows and it’s hard getting them noticed by the bigger shows. Why do you want to pay Mike Wessel x amount of dollars and fly him in, when you’ve got someone right there in town that may have the same record?”

Victory Jay is a Midwest promoter with a solid reputation from twelve years in the sport. His Victory Fighting Championship has hosted several fighters who have gone on to fight in the UFC. Jay sees another impediment in the way of matching ‘name’ fighters with up and comers like Wessel. “You typically think that if you beat a UFC veteran that that gets you in,” explains Jay. “But the issue that you run into with these guys (UFC vets) is that they’re usually coming off a UFC loss. So technically, to put it bluntly, they’re not good enough to be in the UFC.

“So if a fighter is to beat an ex-UFC fighter, the positive spin is, ‘well you beat a guy who’s not good enough to be in the UFC’. If you lose to that guy, ‘well you just lost to a guy that’s not good enough to be in the UFC’. So it becomes a real issue for these hungry guys coming up to fight those names because there’s a lot to risk there.

“These guys that are hoping to use another fighter as a stepping stone or launch pad to get into the bigger show, really need to look at the broader picture that, your basically beating a B level fighter in hopes to getting into an A level show. So it’s extremely difficult, from a matchmaking standpoint, because those purses now become elevated for the opponent. I can get an ex UFC fighter to come in and fight for a very reasonable market rate to take the fight, but his opponent now is going to want more because there is more to risk.”

Wessel and Hamilton aren’t looking for any shortcuts to the UFC. “I just want to fight,” he says.

“Of course I want to fight in the UFC. Of course I want to fight in the big fights. I want to be on national television. But let’s take one step at a time. Let’s get another fight. Let’s get another victory,” Wessel says.

In addition to getting another fight, Wessel wouldn’t mind getting another one of his previous fights up on Youtube. Currently, if you Google Mike Wessel, the first video listed is from his March ’08 bout with Mark Bier.

In the fight Mike catches his opponent with a big punch in what appears like a cheap shot immediately after they touch gloves.

“I’m embarrassed by it,” admits Wessel. Prior to the fight, a source had relayed that Bier himself was planning on swinging right after the glove touch.

“So as soon as he touched my glove [I hit him] That ain’t like me to do that. I’m not a cheap fighter. Of course the one fight they do get on film that’s not sold to Japan or whatever, I screw it up,” laments Wessel.

But whether the casual viewer knows the back story or not, the video clearly illustrates Wessel physically dominating an opponent; something he has always been able to fall back on.

“I pride myself on this; I’m not trying to be arrogant or anything but I’m stronger, physically than anyone I’ve ever been up against,” says Wessel. “My opponents that I’ve fought have been big, but I’ve always been stronger and faster and in better shape than those guys. The strength and conditioning took me so far in this sport and that’s what’s helped me so much.”

In a division hungry for prospects, one would think being confident, skilled and athletic would be like holding a winning lottery ticket. Mike Wessel plans to keep on working until his number his called.