Cooking up a fight

The world of competitive mixed martial arts has had a long but exciting journey to success. While still relatively young, it has built a status as an exhilarating spectacle showcasing the physical power and precision of the talented athletes. From hard jabs to crushing grapples every second proves to be an electrifying demonstration of athleticism.

In South Africa, EFC AFRICA has grown exponentially. Sunninghill resident Wessels (33) is one of the top fighters in the EFC, and was crowned the first EFC AFRICA Heavyweight champion in 2005.

Starting his career as a chef he discovered a deep passion for martial arts. After a few years struggling to break into professional rugby and with training in Muay Thai, he gravitated to the exciting world of mixed martial arts. Wessels stated, “It was swapping one passion for another. It takes the same amount of dedication, discipline, focus and organisation.”

Wessels holds great hopes in the development of the sport in South Africa. “At the end of the day mixed martial arts has become a skill set on its own,” he said. “Fifteen years ago it was all about putting one skill or fighting style against another. But as time has evolved, the sport’s evolved.

“This points out the widespread belief in mixed martial arts’ increasingly demanding athleticism which challenges others sports in South Africa such as rugby and soccer.”

But though he has aspirations to achieve the status of world champion and contribute to the sport’s growing prominence, he remains grounded with his primary aims based on bettering the lives of his family and community. He also operates his gym, Fight Fit Militia in Sunninghill which teaches Muay Thai and mixed martial arts.