Written by Jason Backlund
Photographed by Courtney Harris

It's fight night.

The venue is Desperados.

The night club is a vast space bordered with bars and pool tables. Rows of empty folding chairs surround the cage, all of which are centered on a wooden dance floor. A dormant, mechanical horse sits beside the main entrance. Patrons are beginning to file in through the double doors. They're coming to see the Dixie Rumble, a No-Holds-Barred competition.

Martial artists, wrestlers, and boxers will have the chance to go head-to-head in the controlled chaos that lends itself to names like "Extreme Fighting" and "Ultimate Fighting." The competitors come from all around the Southeast to test their skills against the best in the sport.

Braswell, 22, is competing for the second time.

"I kind of picked this up on a whim," Braswell says. "Now I'm pretty much hooked."

Braswell started training for NHB competition in the summer of 2001. Before that, his focus was primarily his school work. He holds bachelor's degrees in math and philosophy and is working toward a master's degree in math from the University of Florida.

"He's one of the smartest people I know," says Lee, who runs the F2 Arena NHB team. "It's funny because he's this big, intimidating guy, but when you talk to him you see how intelligent and soft spoken he is."

Braswell's intelligence is an asset in the ring. An hour before the first fight, he is tuning his analytical mind to the coming task. At 5 feet 11 inches and 225 pounds, he will be fighting in one of the toughest weight classes.