Mike Wessel
Michael Wade Wessel (born December 2, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional competitor since 2007, Wessel formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
| Mike Wessel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Wade Wessel December 2, 1977 Celina, Ohio, U.S. |
| Other names | The Juggernaut |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 255.5 lb (115.9 kg; 18.25 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States |
| Team | Westside Fight Team |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Born and raised in Celina, Ohio, Wessel played football at Celina High School as a defensive tackle and was talented, earning a scholarship to the University of St. Francis where he played nose tackle. Wessel also went to training camps for both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers but was cut in both appearances. Wessel later competed for Arena Football League teams in North Dakota and San Diego for three-and-a-half seasons before accepting a strength and conditioning coaching job at the University of Arkansas. It was during his time in Arkansas when Wessel began to train mixed martial arts.[1]
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
He made his UFC debut against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 92. He accepted the fight on a week notice after Hardonk's original opponent dropped out due to injury.[2] UFC's Dana White offered the fight to Wessel and he quickly accepted, signing a four-fight deal. Wessel lost in the second round via TKO stoppage after tiring from only having a few days to train.[3]
The Ultimate Fighter
After losing to Hardonk in his UFC debut, Wessel took a spot on the Spike TV reality show, The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. He was the last pick for Team Rashad Evans.[4] Wessel had his first fight on the show against Marcus Jones, losing via first round submission armbar.[5]
Wessel was not given a chance to fight on the finale card. After losing to Jones, Wessel was released from his contract.
Post-UFC
Wessel's first fight after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, was against another Ultimate Fighter alumni, Dan Christison. Wessel lost the fight via submission kimura.[6]
Wessel also faced Bellator's veteran Scott Barrett and Strikeforce's veteran Matt Kovacs, losing against Barrett and winning against Kovacs.[7][8]
Bellator MMA
Wessel made his debut on August 24, 2012 at Bellator 73 against fellow newcomer Ryan Martinez. He won via split decision (29-28 Wessel, 30-27 Martinez, 29-28 Wessel).[10]
Wessel next entered the Bellator season seven heavyweight tournament, facing Rich Hale on October 5, 2012 at Bellator 75 for a spot in the semifinals. Hale defeated Wessel via TKO in the first round.[11]
Wessel faced Alexei Kudin on December 7, 2012 at Bellator 83. He won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).[12]
Wessel then faced Justin Frazier at Bellator 120 on May 17, 2014. He defeated Frazier via first round TKO.[13]
Wessel faced Josh Diekmann at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014.[14] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Wessel faced Frank Tate at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Mixed martial arts record
| 23 matches | 15 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 7 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–8 | Frank Tate | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 162 | October 21, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |
| Loss | 14–8 | Josh Diekmann | KO (punches) | Bellator 123 | September 5, 2014 | 1 | 0:47 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 14–7 | Justin Frazier | TKO (punches) | Bellator 120 | May 17, 2014 | 1 | 4:28 | Southaven, Mississippi, United States | |
| Loss | 13–7 | Michal Kita | TKO (punches) | Pro MMA Challenge 1: Drwal vs. Heleno | March 1, 2014 | 1 | 2:11 | Wroclaw, Poland | |
| Loss | 13–6 | Robert Neal | TKO (punches) | PFMMAC: PrizeFight MMA Championships | July 13, 2013 | 1 | 0:13 | Tunica, Mississippi, United States | For the PrizeFight Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–5 | Alexei Kudin | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 83 | December 7, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 12–5 | Rich Hale | TKO (punches) | Bellator 75 | October 5, 2012 | 1 | 1:19 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 12–4 | Ryan Martinez | Decision (split) | Bellator 73 | August 24, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Matt Kovacs | TKO (punches) | SF: ShoFight 20 | June 16, 2012 | 2 | 4:50 | Springfield, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Scott Barrett | TKO (punches) | SportFight X: Middle Tennessee Mayhem | January 29, 2011 | 1 | 3:53 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Chris Hawk | TKO (punches) | AXC 10: War of the Machines | October 9, 2010 | 1 | 2:19 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | |
| Win | 9–3 | Jack Armstrong | TKO (punches) | AXC 8: Friday Fury | June 18, 2010 | 1 | 2:39 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | |
| Loss | 8–3 | Dan Christison | Submission (kimura) | CFC 4: Wessel vs. Christison | February 26, 2010 | 3 | 3:56 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Antoni Hardonk | TKO (punches) | UFC 92 | December 27, 2008 | 2 | 2:09 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Aaron Winterlee | Submission | Subzero Fighting | August 2, 2008 | 1 | 1:59 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Rudy Lindsey | Decision (unanimous) | Extreme Fighting League | May 17, 2008 | 2 | 5:00 | Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Patrick Castillo | Decision (split) | AOW: GIs vs. Pros | April 19, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Tunica, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Mark Bier | TKO (punches) | Ring Rulers | March 8, 2008 | 1 | 0:45 | Shreveport, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Matt Thomas | TKO (punches) | Subzero Fighting | January 12, 2008 | 1 | N/A | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Matt Thomas | KO (punches) | AOW: Art of War 4 | October 27, 2007 | 1 | 2:42 | Tunica, Mississippi, United States | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Aaron Wintterle | KO (punch) | Xtreme Fighting League | August 11, 2007 | 2 | 0:28 | Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Rudy Lindsey | Decision (unanimous) | Xtreme Fighting League | August 11, 2007 | 3 | 2:00 | Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jason Lee | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Fighting League | August 11, 2007 | 3 | 1:18 | Alabama, United States |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Marcus Jones | Submission (armbar) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 1 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Preliminary Bout. |
References
- "Mike Wessel - Official UFC® Profile | UFC ® - Fighter Gallery". Archived from the original on 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
- Mike Wessel replaces Mark Burch on UFC 92 preliminary card MMAJunkie.com (December 18, 2008)
- UFC 92 results & recap by Robert Sargent (MMARising.com) on December 28, 2008
- Episode No. 1 recap: "The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights" by John Morgan (MMAJunkie.com) on September 16, 2009
- Episode No. 8 recap: "The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights" MMAJunkie.com (November 4, 2009)
- CFC 4 play by play – Christison submits Wessel by Keith Grienke (Topmmanews.com) on February 26, 2010
- “SportFight X: Middle Tennessee Mayhem” results and photo gallery Prommanow.com (January 30, 2011)
- ShoFight 20 live results and play-by-play by Tim Burke (Bloodyelbow.com) on June 16, 2012
- Bellator 73 lineup finalized with title fight, two tournament finals MMAJunkie.com (August 3, 2012)
- Bellator 73 results: Vegh stops Wiuff; Galvao takes Season 6 bantamweight crown by Steven Marrocco (MMAJunkie.com) on August 24, 2012
- Bellator 75 results: Santos, Volkov, Hale, Queiroz advance in heavyweight tourney by Steven Marrocco (MMAJunkie.com) on October 5, 2012
- Bellator 83 results: Martinez vs. Shamhalaev by Bryan Tucker (MMAFighting.com) on December 7, 2012
- "Bellator 120 Results: Rampage vs. King Mo". mmafighting.com. May 17, 2014.
- "BELLATOR MMA - BELLATOR 123". sherdog.com.