Battle of Tampa Bay 28: Documenting a Long-Running Fight Event in Downtown St. Pete, Florida

Battle of Tampa Bay 28 took place on November 8th 2025 in downtown St. Petersburg, FL at Hilton Bayfront.

Battle of Tampa Bay is one of those promotions that has been around for a long time.

The first Battle of Tampa Bay was in 1998. And almost 3 decades later, it is still here.

It's very rare for a local fight promotion to still be putting out fights for this long after so many years.

I have heard of Battle of Tampa Bay since I was fighting back in the early 2000s. And when I started to document fight events, I knew I wanted to document Battle of Tampa Bay event one day.

That day came sooner that I thought. In November of 2025, I got the chance to be the only exclusive photographer ringside.

In this post I break down the 2-day event, starting on Friday with the weigh-ins, then the fight day on Saturday. I will go over all the moments along each day, what I did and the results I got.

Let's get into it!

Day One: The Weigh-Ins

The weigh-ins always happen the day before the fights. This was Friday, November 7th.

It was at the same location as the fights, the Hilton Bayfront. A very nice hotel, right downtown in St. Pete.

During the weigh-ins you only have a handful of standard shots to capture.

Fighters on the scale:

Face-offs facing each other then facing the camera:

F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 8000, 45mm

F4, 1/250s, ISO 8000, 32mm

However, I also always like to capture behind-the-scenes moments as the fighters arrive and wait for the weigh-ins to happen.

For Battle of Tampa Bay events, the doctor check-in, the weigh-ins and the rules reading all happened on the same day. So the chances for documenting candid moments are always there.

F45, 1/250s, ISO 12800, 61mm

Then exclusive to Battle of Tampa Bay events, there is a large group shot at the very end before everyone leaves. All the fighters, all the coaches and the promoters get into a massive group shot. I have not seen that done at any other promotion.

F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 10000, 24mm

After the Weigh-Ins: Editing and Posting

Even though the weigh-ins are done, the work has just begun.

I have to go back home and begin the selection process, editing and posting the weigh-in photos.

The weigh-in pictures are no longer relevant as soon as the fights start, so I have very short amount of time to get them done and posted to create more anticipation and interest in the event.

So I went back home, made my selections of the best of the weigh-ins and posted them to highlight the fighters at the weigh-ins and build excitement for the fight day.

Day Two: Fight Day

I like showing up to the fight event at least 2 hours before it starts. Often earlier.

I like to feel the emptiness of the arena before the fighters arrive and before the doors open.

The silence before the violence.

I start documenting as soon as I start walking through the doors and I don't stop.

F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 25600, 39mm

Also, for this fight event I was joined by my sister. We love watching UFC fights and get together once a month to watch the PPVs. So I wanted her to experience Battle of Tampa Bay from a different perspective. As part of the staff and crew behind the scenes rather than as an audience member.

As it got closer to doors opening, people began to arrive, the atmosphere changed and the seats filled up.

Amir Ardebily always starts his events on time so at 6pm the event began.

There is always an introduction. Highlighting the people, the community, the charities and the sponsors.

Then the fights begin!

Ringside Photography Setup and Camera Settings

F4.5, 1/1000s, ISO 25600, 25mm

For this event I was ringside, right up close next to the action, same as for BCT fight even couple of months before.

I used my new Canon R6 Mark II camera. I had already put it through its paces at the Valhalla MMA Valhalloween 7 Fight Event two weeks earlier, so I was a lot more comfortable with it.

Shooting over the ring ropes is a lot easier than shooting through a cage. You can pretty much capture all the action unless blocked by the referee or if the fight is further away. But with my 24-105 lens I could zoom in across the ring and get what I needed.

F4, 1/1000s, ISO 25600, 50mm

I shot with these settings:

Shutter Priority Mode
Shutter speed: 1/800 to 1/1000 for most fight action (down to slower speeds during grappling exchanges or between rounds to bring down the ISO)
Aperture: f/4 or so (was controlled automatically)
ISO: Automatic, maxing out at 25,600

F4, 1/1250s, ISO 25600, 29mm

The event was lit well with overhead lights and ring lights, so ISO stayed manageable. I was able to capture great shots of the action whether it was across the ring or right next to me.

F4, 1/1000s, ISO 25600, 24mm

Key Moments Captured

I captured all the key moments you need to capture.

The fight itself:

F4, 1/1250s, ISO 25600, 30mm

The 1 minute rest in-between rounds:

Image 1 - F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 12800, 61mm; Image 2 - F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 5000, 61mm

The winner getting their hand raised:

F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 8000, 24mm

The fighter with his/her coaches:

F4, 1/250s, ISO 8000, 24mm

There is also moments that can't be anticipated but make for amazing documenting shots. These are the ones I look for and enjoy the results of the most:

F4.5, 1/250s, ISO 4000, 32mm

I tried to also capture some walk-in shots but due to my position and the layout, I wasn't able to get great walk-in shots for every fighter. There wasn't much space to move around quickly and still get back to the ring in time. But I did what I could.

F4, 1/250s, ISO 25600, 92mm

In the end I captured a lot of great shots for each fight.

F4, 1/1000s, ISO 25600, 30mm

Final Thoughts

I finally got to capture and document Battle of Tampa Bay, one of the longest-running fight events in West Central Florida. Almost three decades and still going strong. A huge crowd showed up and there was a great final main event.