Blunt Force Trauma

Published by Constable, October 28, 2010

Justin “The Viking” Wren

Category: Excerpts

June 20, 2010
View Details

Justin Wren – former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show – prepares for a new run in the fight game with hard sparring. Despite the use of head protection, you can still take punches that make you bleed. You are not invin ... More Details

Cyborg vs. Zikic

Category: Excerpts

June 18, 2010
View Details

Arguably the war of 2007, Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos threw everything he had at the returning James Zikic, but fell short after blowing himself out early on in the encounter. Determination, mental toughness and strategic striking paved ... More Details

Big KO

Category: Excerpts

June 18, 2010
View Details

The main concern after a big KO is the fighters’ health, and that’s why there is never a rush to remove them from the cage. Head trauma is a very real risk given the small amount of padding available in the gloves – 4oz to be precise. ... More Details

Wallhead vs. Nascimento

Category: Excerpts

June 18, 2010
View Details

Fighting with an open mouth and a barbell tongue piercing is just plain dangerous… but it wasn’t until the end of the second round that referee Marc Goddard found this out – by which point it was too late to do anything about it. ... More Details

Hand Wrapping

Category: Excerpts

June 17, 2010
View Details

Hands are delicate, the process of wrapping them is one of the most effective way of protecting a fighter’s valuable tools. // More Details

View Details View Larger Image

View Details View Larger Image

View Details View Larger Image

A unique record of cage fighting - 300 explosive images, based on exclusive cage-side access

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.