Inside WCFL42 Fight Event: From Weigh-Ins to the Cage at Tampa Premier Sports Institute

On Saturday March 28 at WCFL42, the sun was coming through the small windows of a large gymnasium in Tampa Premier Sports Institute.

I was exiting the cage to go back up the ladder to shoot the next fight and I caught Guillermo Bazan stepping into the sliver of light.

Just for a split second he put his hands up and I caught a great shot.

Guillermo Bazan

Guillermo went on to win his fight later that night in a dominant fashion.

Guillermo Bazan

The golden hour light wouldn't last long but it produced some of the best fight shots during the fight event.

Blake Rice vs Juan Toribio

Juniper Nichols vs Ariella Schaub

The Day Before

Weigh-ins took place at Riveters in Tampa on N Dale Mabry.

Riveters is a sports restaurant themed around World War II and around cultural icon Rosie the Riveter.

World Class Fight League treats weigh-ins and face-offs as an event of their own. When I arrived, there was an area in the back of Riveters already set up for this to happen.

Weigh-in and face-off area for WCFL42 at Riveters in Tampa

The white and red banner combined with natural sun light really added to the tropical feel and atmosphere of the weigh-ins. It made for great face-offs.

Brock Waldie vs CedricMathieu

Diego Moreno vs Quentin Warren

World Class Fight League 42 team

New Fight Venue

The fights would take place at a new venue, at Tampa Premier Sports Institute.

It was a large interior space that felt like a high-school gym. With black painted walls, basketball hoops and high, near the ceiling windows that allowed some natural light to fill the room. The cage sat toward the back wall with seats filling three-quarters of the floor in front of it.

Inside Tampa Premier Sports Institute

Behind the Closed Doors, Before the Fights

One of my favorite times to capture moments is before the doors open and before the fights start.

Walking the empty fight venue and between the 2 rooms set up for fighters to get ready.

Josh Carbonell

Catching rules meeting, fighter's warm-ups, shadow boxing, wrapping hands, visualizing and dealing with the insurmountable internal pressure of what's about to come.

Hunter Meade

Blake Rice

Diego Moreno getting gloved up

There is a stillness you feel and silence you hear that builds itself to the first fight of the night.

32 Fights to Shoot and Document

There were 32 fights I had to shoot and document. No breaks between boxing, kickboxing, grappling and MMA. One fight after another.

Blake Rice vs Juan Toribio

Hunter Meade vs Dillon Holiday

Kostya Loneman vs Jaime Navarrete

Diego Moreno vs Quentin Warren

With each winner's hand raised and sharing the victory with their fight family.

Blake Rice vs Juan Toribio

Hunter Meade with the team

The Start of Fighter's Portrait Series

At WCFL42 a new series was born.

Fighter's portrait series.

I would catch fighters and their emotion right after the win when I'd get into the cage.

Christopher Donnelly

The real and raw expression of their victory. Unstaged.

Brock Waldie

Many shots like this came out of this event and I liked it so much that I will continue collecting these from here on out.

Guillermo Bazan

Brock Waldie Gets the Belt

Brock Waldie vs Cedric Mathieu was the main event. And Brock secured his biggest win yet.

Brock Waldie

Brock Waldie

Brock Waldie

I got this shot of Brock on top of the cage. Blocking out the light just right and letting the rim light outline his silhouette.

Brock Waldie

End of Night

The event ran for more than 6 hours and somehow it felt like a single continuous flash, from the moment I walked in until the moment I left.

Onto the next fight event.