UFC Fan Expo, mark 2

Announced today over on UFC.com, the second UFC Fan Expo will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on 28-29 May 2010 (that's Memorial Day weekend, in case you didn't know)

The first Fan Expo was a blast and even though it was a bit rough around the edges, I had a great time documenting the scene for ESPN and Fighters Only Germany as well.

I don't know what fights they have planned for that show which - if I'm right - will be UFC 112/3 or thereabouts. There's been rumours that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will make his 'return' to the UFC in May to finally face "Sugar" Rashad Evans in a long-delayed match that (in my opinion) has lost much of its lustre.

Anyways it's almost pointless to speculate on a fight card so far away in the future. All that matters is that fans and fighters will be there in droves, so I'm definitely going to check out what the flight / hotel costs are - perhaps I'll see you there?

Front page again

Just a quick update - one of my images shot as Randy Couture trained at Straight Blast Gym last night is anchoring on the front page of ESPN's MMA section, anchoring an article by Franklin McNeil.

Don't worry - my promised update regarding today's UFC 105 pre-fight press conference is still in the works...

A (straight) Blast of a session

So last night one Quentin Chong from Xtreme Couture gym kindly invited me along to shoot Randy Couture going through a pre-fight training session at Straight Blast Gym in Manchester; it's not often that one gets that sort of access so naturally I jumped at the chance.

At age 46, Randy is a five time UFC champion, having won belts in both the LHW and HW divisions. His physical conditioning and stamina made me feel almost embarrased to be in the same room as him - Randy rocking a six-pack whilst my own midriff more resembles a keg! :)

The UFC video crew who film the "All Access" segments that you find on the event DVD's were there as well so I got hemmed in a little since I couldn't use flash. Anyone whose ever been inside Straight Blast Gym will tell you that it's somewhat cozy and dimly lit.

To give those photographers out there a better idea - I had to shoot  Randy at around 1/80 sec, ISO 6400 and f/2.8 to get usable frames. T'was one of those rare occasions where I thought that frame-grabbing from a D3S might be a better idea, so if anyone from Nikon is reading this (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

The rest of the pictures from the session will migrate to my flickr.com account shortly, just as soon as the bods at ESPN have ran them as part of their UFC 105 fight week coverage.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank Randy Couture, Ryan Couture, Quentin Chong, Gil Martinez and Neil Melanson of Xtreme Couture for granting me access to shoot this session.

Next up? Words and some pictures from the pre-fight presser for UFC 105.

Some friendly advice

Anyone heading to Manchester for UFC 105 might have to contend with some major roadworks that started in the city yesterday; seems that Great Ancoats St - Swan St - Miller St are being torn up so do bear this in mind when you're heading to town - this will affect anyone trying to get to hotels like Travelodge Ancoats, the Crowne Plaza and other areas close by.

Hope none of you get snared in it :)

Seven days from now, I'll likely have finished off breakfast at my hotel and be going through the ritual of ensuring my gear if fully cleaned and charged, ready to go There's a definite buzz when it comes to fight day - a sense of anticipation.

Strolling from the hotel, it's easy to spot other fight fans as they head to the arena - the sense of cameraderie is palpable. With eleven fights on the card there's plenty to be excited about; I'm already counting down the days and hope to see some of you there.