Portrait Series of Cage Fighters After Their Bouts

In this series of portrait photography, I present cage fighter images taken immediately after their bouts in the octagon. Setting up a small studio between the cage and the changing rooms, I photographed each MMA fighter as soon as they left the ring—still bearing the bruises, cuts, and sweat from their intense battles. By capturing them before they had a chance to clean up or even reflect, I aimed to document them at their most raw and vulnerable moments. My intention was not to depict victory or defeat but to explore the ambiguous space where pain, exhaustion, and resilience intersect.

Having spent years in reportage photography, documenting conflicts and human struggles around the world, I wanted to delve into a different facet of the human condition. Unlike in my previous work, where individuals are often victims of circumstance, these fighters choose to step into the cage, embracing the possibility of pain and injury. This voluntary confrontation with suffering intrigued me and prompted me to examine themes of masculinity, endurance, and identity.

Although I began working on Unseen Waterloo a few months before starting this project, the two overlapped, and I completed Unseen Waterloo four years later. Both bodies of work share common themes but approach them differently. While Unseen Waterloo involves reenactors embodying historical soldiers, this series presents real individuals facing contemporary battles. Through these cage-fighter images, I aim to shed light on the complexities of modern masculinity and the ways in which we confront our own limitations.

The white backdrop removes any contextual distractions, focusing solely on the individuals and their immediate emotional states. Some fighters stare defiantly into the lens; others avert their gaze, lost in thought. This series challenges viewers to look beyond the physicality of mixed martial arts and consider the deeper motivations that drive these men to engage in such a brutal sport.