A global sports phenomenon, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has taken the world of full-contact sport by storm. In these high-octane clashes, highly trained and conditioned fighters go head-to-head, using a combination of boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, Ju-Jitsu and Judo, to overcome their opponent in the cage. Despite only becoming recognized a sport in the last 15 years, MMA has now eclipsed boxing and WWE (wrestling) in the United States - and is currently second only to the NFL as the most popular sport in the US. Drawing average crowds of 20,000 fans, with 6 million+ pay-per-view subscribers to premiere events, this isn't just a US phenomenon either; in the UK, audiences of 15,000+ attend the largest events, while Japan has seen audiences in excess of 70,000 fans attending bouts that see fighters travelling from all parts of the globe. "Blunt Force Trauma" is the unique story of Mixed Martial Arts as seen through the lens of fighter/photographer Lee Whitehead, who has followed the meteoric rise of the sport. His knowledge and experience put him in an unrivalled position to capture both the savagery and ferocity they exhibit in the cage, as well as a side of MMA that the public rarely sees - the humanity and humility of these modern-day gladiators.
Lee Whitehead, Mixed Martial Arts photographer and Journalist having worked on the scene since 2002, I am based in the UK but have worked internationally covering everything from the UFC to grass-roots domestic shows.
I am the author of two Mixed Martial Arts photographic books, the first of which is a 196 page coffee-table hardback book called "Blunt Force Trauma" and the second of which is a 448 page paperback book called "Mammoth Book of Mixed Martial Arts".
My involvement in MMA is both as a stand alone photographer and also as the UK correspondent for leading MMA news website MMAWeekly.com. You can find my articles on the site, or drop me a line on twitter if you wish to discuss anything MMA related.
My portfolio of work includes contributions the following magazines, books and newspapers:
- Fighters Only (UK)
- KamiPro (Japan)
- MMA Unlimited (UK)
- Why I Fight (BJ Penn)
- Men's Fitness (Australia)
- Fight! (Australia)
- Ultimate MMA Magazine (UK)
- Ultimate Book (Australia)
- Spiked Magazine (UK)
- Ground and Pound (Germany)
- Fight! (USA)
- Fighters (UK)
- Martial Arts Illustrated (UK)
- Combat (UK)
- Fighting Fit (UK)
- Nuts (UK)
- Loaded (UK)
- The Sunday Sport (UK)
- London Gazzette (UK)
