The Struggle

 

This is Dave Branch battling Robbie Houston. To me, this is what I love most about MMA: the strain, the amazing physical struggle between two men trying to best one another. It's so basic and so visceral- you can practically see the blood pumping through their veins.

When people ask me why I enjoy watching MMA, I always stammer. I can't find the words that will cast it in the light it deserves. Instead, I shrug, shake my head, grin shyly, and admit I don't know the answer to that. But this picture sums it up. Whatever words are failing me, they're visible in this photograph. Why do I enjoy watching MMA? Because of moments like this.

Exhaustion

 

Last month I posted a picture of an unidentified tattooed fighter. I finally figured out who he is. His name is Daniel Sarafian and he defeated his opponent, Lamont Lister, by arm bar in the 3rd round. This is the two of them in the second round. I have a couple of shots of them in this position, one with Sarafian's arm wrapped tightly around Lister's neck. With his tattoos, his arm looks exactly like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey. But you can't see Lister's face in those, and one of the things I like about this shot is how you can see his face. Well, partially. Lister is breathing out of his mouth and he's exhausted. But that's what draws you in and that's why I chose to post this picture.

Go Big Red!

 
When I took this picture of John Cholish, I didn't realize he used to wrestle for Cornell, my alma mater. It wasn't until tonight when I read his bio that I discovered he was a fellow Cornellian (hence my nod to Big Red). Funny that the two of us should find ourselves on opposite sides of the cage here in DC- him fighting and me shooting....

Apparently Cholish was quite a good wrestler and now he fights out of New York City with Team Renzo Gracie. In this bout, Cholish defeated Chris Connor from MMA Institute (on the bottom) by unanimous decision.

I think the thing that strikes me about this photo is how every muscle in Cholish is contracting- every single one. There is not one fiber that is resting; he is one giant spring-loaded weapon in the act of firing. You can even see the strain in his toes. Extraordinary.

I chose a square format to reduce distraction. Normally I crop to a 4x6 ratio but there was a distracting lady whose white forehead and eyes peeping over the mats stood out too much against the black backdrop. She kept drawing the eye away from Cholish, who I meant to be the focus. She had to go, so I tightened up the crop using a 1:1 and adjusted the frame to the Rule of Thirds. I also sharpened it and brought up the contrast a tad just to darken the chain links in the foreground.

Never too old

 
This is Buck "The Coach" Grant. After 7 years of retirement, he's back on the mats showing his students at Hybrid Academy of Martial Arts how it's done. He's also a CrossFit athlete (thanks Brown!). Not hard to imagine that; this was him last month during the Battle at the Nation's Capital. Did I mention he's 32 years old? (As a 33-year old who refuses to accept the idea that age=deterioration, I love it when the older guy wins.)

I like this picture for several reasons. First, I like the dichotomy between the bodies of the victor, tall and proud, and the loser, bloodied and on his knees. This was a messy fight, with Grant cutting Dixon early in the first round and the ref stopping the fight when Dixon was no longer able to defend himself. That brings me to the second reason why this photo is interesting to me- the ref was still signaling a call to the fight long after Grant walked away from his opponent. He stayed there waving his hands forever, as if driving home the message that there was no question this fight was over. I'm glad he did because it allowed me time to take a frontal shot of Grant, arms raised in victory, while the ref was still gesturing over a stunned Dixon. Finally, I'm drawn in by the facial expression of Dixon. He's staring down at the blood on his hand as if in disbelief. (He'll have to watch the video of his fight a couple of times before he knows what happened and how he came to be in that position.) Shortly after this picture was taken, he and Grant hugged in the center of the cage before Grant's arm was raised.

In other news....
I had to take some time away from the 'blog over the holidays so that I could focus my photography on Photo calendars, family get-togethers, and kids on Christmas morning. Apologies for the hiatus. I hope to feature several more shots from the Battle at the Nation's Capital over the next few weeks, interspersed with the CrossFit pics, of course. Then, in February, get ready for UWC Man O' War.....