Tag Archives: Legend Fighting Championship

Macau Poker Cup Championship at the Grand Lisboa

By ken | Published October 11, 2011

PokerStars Team Asia Pro, Raymond Wu PokerStars Team Asia Pro, Celina Lin PokerStars Team Asia Pro, Bryan Huang

It is around this time of year when all eyes in the world of poker in Asia turn to the Grand Lisboa Poker Room for the grand finale of the Macau Poker Cup series hosted by PokerStars Macau. I just arrived from Hong Kong, in time to cover the Main Event which starts with Day 1A tomorrow, and concluding through the weekend. MPC regulars and newcomers from around the region are expected to join the expected field of 250+ players along with Team Asia Pro Players: Raymond Wu, Celina Lin, Bryan Huang and new team member Vivian Im.

At the end of the tournament, I’ll head home to HK to continue what has been a crazy but exciting October – photographing two weddings before dropping back in Macau at the end of the month to cover Legend 6.

Oh yeah, I also turned 30 last week =)

Posted in poker | Also tagged event, Macau Poker Cup, poker 1 Comment

Legend 2 Fight Night, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

By ken | Published June 28, 2010

faceoff of MMA fighters Matt Cain and Bae Myung Ho

Last week was all about Legend Fighting Championship, Hong Kong’s first professional mixed martial arts competition, leading up to Fight Night last Thursday June 24th at HITEC’s Star Hall in Kowloon Bay. Earlier in the week, I had the opportunity meet with some of the fighters who were still getting over jetlag and cutting weight. Among them were new and returning fighters that were in good spirits and overall were really nice dudes.

Last January, Legend 1 had the tall task of becoming the first MMA production in HK. This time around, I felt Legend 2 raised the bar even higher for fight promotion in Hong Kong, drawing what I thought was the biggest, most excited and most MMA-savvy crowd I’ve seen here. The fights did not disappoint either – showcasing brutal knockout power, advanced grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, paired with fair officiating and judging. As a huge fan of MMA anticipating big things for the sport in HK, I’m very excited =) And oh yeah, did I mention Legend 3 in September?

Here are shots of the excitement from the Legend 2 fight card.

Vivek Mahbubani aka HK’s Bruce Buffer
Vivek Mahbubani announces the start of Legend 2 in Hong Kong

Takuma flattens Wang Zhen for a rear naked choke
Japanese Takuma Wakabayashi attempts a rear naked choke on China's Wang Zhen

Jo Nam Jin eats a headkick from Kevin Belingon
Korean Jo Nam Jin eats a headkick from Filipino Kevin Belingon

China’s Zhang Tiequan guillotine submission over Daniel Digby, 0:30 in Round 1
China's Zhang Tiequan guillotine submission over Daniel Digby

Rob Hill lands a superman punch on the chin of Kwon A Sol
Australian Rob Hill lands a superman punch on the chin of Korean Kwon A Sol

Taiwanese Justin Lee shocks the Hong Kong crowd with a first round KO of Kenny Yeung
Taiwanese Justin Lee first round knockout of Kenny Yeung of Hong Kong

Adrian Pang knees Yu Woo Sung on his way to the lightweight belt
Australian Adrian Pang knees Korean Yu Woo Sung

Posted in MMA, photoshoot | Also tagged events, HITEC, HK, hong kong, Legend 2, MMA, photography, photoshoot Leave a comment

Legend Fighting Championship 1: Fight Night

By ken | Published January 13, 2010

Last Monday on January 11, after covering the weigh-ins and taking some website profile photos, I was fortunate enough to cover the inaugural Legend Fighting Championship in Hong Kong’s Star Hall at HITEC in Kowloon Bay. I had actually been there a few times before to shoot some other fighting events, a comedy show and a wedding. Quite a versatile venue.

To be honest, I genuinely would’ve really enjoyed putting down the camera and just being a fan in the stands. But shooting a sport that I have grown to absolutely love in what I considered to be a historical event for HK was way too good to pass up. So when the night began the pressure was on. I claimed my ringside corner and my client took his seat at the judges table behind me (with clear view of my camera LCD display the whole night, yikes).

Overall production was great. Music that matched the brand, dramatic walk-ins (can never go wrong with a smoke machine), great announcer, a few knockouts etc. so there was plenty for me to shoot and it was incredibly fun. Despite that it was physically draining as the event lasted about 4 hours, and I had to worry about blocking fans’ view of the ring all while trying to keep my focus points locked on through my viewfinder. Simultaneously, I was importing CF cards and generating previews on the laptop because I knew I’d have to get some media shots to the PR guys immediately afterwards. I got water (well, maybe some spit too since it came from a fighter’s mouth) sprayed accidentally on my face, and blood nearly got on my camera, but I consider that part of the fun =)

Special thanks to Ralph Berrett for his great shooting MMA tips. He’s got a great podcast that I hope comes back online soon. Here are some of my favorite shots from the night.

The multi-talented Vivek Mahbubani