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 =)

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.

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Vivek Mahbubani aka HK’s Bruce Buffer

Takuma flattens Wang Zhen for a rear naked choke

Jo Nam Jin eats a headkick from Kevin Belingon

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

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

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

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

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.

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The multi-talented Vivek Mahbubani

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Jo Nam Jin checks the clock

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Matt Cain gets the heel hook

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Kenny Yeung entering the ring

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Khuukhenkhuu Amartuvshin near rear-naked choke before the end of the round

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Bae Myung Ho walks in then proceeds to ground and pound

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Zhao Zilong wins by referee stoppage

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Nam Yui Chul vs. Adrian Pang: don’t leave it in the hands of the judges