Wessel, Carwin Score Big at ART OF WAR 4: Mississippi Mayhem! (10/29/07)
Article and Photos Submitted by Art of War

ART OF WAR 4: Mississippi Mayhem played to a nearly sold-out crowd of 2,400 fans on Saturday, October 27th at Harrah's Grand Tunica Casino & Resort and delivered eight action-packed bouts that all ended before going to the scorecards.

MIKE WESSEL, strength and conditioning coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, was not the favorite going into his heavyweight main event contest against Memphis native MATT THOMAS. Wessel had only eight months of training and carried a 2-1 record against Thomas, who held a 3-3 record against some tough competition. In the opening seconds of the bout, Wessel's standup proved to be tighter than his opponent's and he opened a cut on Thomas' head. Eventually Thomas shot in for a takedown and had Wessel in a bad position dropping punches and elbows.

Just before the two-minute mark, Wessel showed an incredible amount of strength by reversing his position and dropping bombs of his own. The two big men briefly got back to their feet, but Wessel kept the pressure and unleashed a flurry of shots before the ref called the bout at 2:42 in the first round. Wessel walked off with the ART OF WAR Quickest Knockout Award.

In a battle between undefeated super heavyweights, SHANE CARWIN tested his 6-0 record against REX RICHARDS (4-0). At the weigh-ins, Carwin could have made heavyweight tipping the scales at just 266 pounds. Richards, on the other hand, looked leaner but weighed in a whopping 312 pounds. Both men stood toe to toe for just seconds before Carwin shot in, took Richards down and had him in the mount position. The Colorado native pounded on Richards who flailed away trying to escape.

Remarkably Richards was able to get back to his feet, but Carwin capitalized by sinking in a tight guillotine choke. With blood streaming from Richards' nose, the bigger man tapped out at 1:24 into the first stanza. Both men intend to drop to heavyweight, and with Carwin's undefeated record unblemished, he will no doubt have big opportunities in his future.

On paper, RON FAIRCLOTH vs. CHRIS HAWK looked like a light heavyweight mismatch. Faircloth held a record of 26-12, while Hawk was making his pro debut. It took only a few seconds to see why Hawk would be facing a cagey veteran to get his pro card. After a little feeling out period, Hawk launched a barrage of punches, kicks and knees that put Faircloth against the cage. Faircloth took over 20 unanswered shots and the ref nearly called the fight on two different occasions. Managing to survive, Faircloth got a few seconds to clear his head and took Hawk down to close out the first round.

In Round 2, Hawk continued his assault with head kicks and punches, but Faircloth kept his head in the game. The 21-year-old Hawk began to look tired and Faircloth took advantage by finally getting him down and sinking in a rear naked choke. Hawk tapped out at 1:57 into the round, but proved he has a long career ahead of him. Faircloth said after the fight that he would now be moving down to middleweight. And for taking a beating and coming back the way he did, Faircloth won the ART OF WAR MVP Award.

ANDREW CHAPPELLE (5-5) stepped into the cage for the first time in two years to face local favorite and BJJ black belt ADRIANO NASAL (6-3) in a lightweight bout. During the first round, Chappelle's tight standup game overmatched Nasal, who tried time and time again for takedowns. When the fight went to the ground, the Brazilian couldn't find any holes in Chappelle's game. During the middle of Round 2, Chappelle not only kept Nasal away, he landed a couple of takedowns and throws of his own.

By the end of the second round, Chappelle had the lead on the scorecards, but neither man had been in trouble. In the third round, Chappelle kept on the pressure and after rocking Nasal, poured on the pain. Landing shot after shot, the referee called a halt to the contest at 3:54. Nasal's manager said the fighter would be moving down to 145 pounds, while Chappelle is ready to restart his MMA career and has a much better game to prove it.

To the delight of fans, Memphis fighter ANDY UHRICH made his pro debut against Mississippi native CHRIS GATES in the middleweight division. People were screaming out Andy's name at the beginning of the fight and no doubt there were plenty of fans cheering on either side. Unfortunately the experience may have been too overwhelming as Uhrich got off one kick before the much taller Gates took him down and started raining down elbows. Uhrich managed to escape and turned the tide, but couldn't find much of an opening. Sitting in Gate's guard, Uhrich was caught in a tight triangle choke and ended up getting choked unconscious at 3:34 into the fight.

In one of the most exciting fights of the night, DAVID BROWN (1-1) faced off against DAVID HULETT (2-3) in a welterweight contest. Brown, who had once tipped the scales at 230 pounds as a pro wrestler, certainly had showmanship, but his fight game was more flash than substance. He had heart though. During the first round, Brown was caught in a clinic of submissions and had his right eye closed, but kept on fighting. Brown slammed, threw and took down Hulett several times and continued punching. In Round 2, Hulett tried to finish with more submission attempts, but looked tired. Brown didn't look much better, but never stopped moving forward.

About three minutes into the round, Brown illegally kneed Hulett to the head on the ground and the fight was stopped momentarily. Brown had been warned of the infraction earlier and had a point taken away; Hulett was given the full five minutes to recover. Despite a communication breakdown between Hulett, Hulett's manager and the referee, Hulett eventually stood up and the fight resumed. In Round 3, Hulett and Brown both traded shots, but Brown was the hungrier fighter and Hulett couldn't take any more damage. At 1:18 into the round, the referee halted the contest. Hulett's manager plans on petitioning the commission for a no contest ruling.

MARK WIGGINS (2-1) had the edge on standup against KEITH BACH (2-0) at the beginning of their fight, so Bach got the takedown and worked for a choke. Wiggins tried to escape, but Bach finished him quickly by rear naked choke at 1:32. KYLE GIBBONS (6-3) also made quick work of MIKE QUEEN (4-2), who took the fight on late notice, by submitting him via arm bar in just 58 seconds.

ART OF WAR will have a full schedule of events in 2008 and plans will be announced soon. For information, please visit us online at www.artofwarLIVE.com.