title: Blunt Force Trauma: Mixed Martial Arts Photography
author:  Lee Whitehead 
description: 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.
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  But my attacker wasn’t interested in sex. He was aroused by something else
  altogether—blood. My blood.
  
  
  My fear.
  
  
  The next instant, his teeth clamped over the bleeding wound. Pain blasted up
  my arm like lightning. Sickening sucking sounds filled the night air. Fear
  burst like a blinding light in my brain. “Fuck!”
  
  
  The perp pulled me toward the ground and pinned me. The impact knocked the
  weapon from my hand, but it only lay a couple feet away. I reached for it with
  my left hand. But fingers can stretch only so far no matter how much you yearn
  and curse and pray.
  
  
  The pain was like needles stabbing my vein. My vision swam. If I didn’t stop
  him soon, I’d pass out. If that happened he’d drag me into those tunnels and
  no one would see me again.
  
  
  Fortunately, elbows make excellent motivators. Especially when they’re rammed
  into soft temples. At least they usually are. In this case, my bloodthirsty
  opponent was too busy feasting on my flesh and blood to r