The MMA gala

An arena plunged into darkness, blue lights above the cage, and hundreds of people holding their breath. That night, the fighters had a date with weeks of preparation.

There were hands wrapped in silence, headgear adjusted by a coach, a last word whispered forehead to forehead. Then the walkout under the roar of the crowd, and the cage door closing.

Between exchanges, we looked for the moments when everything turns: a look, a guard going up, arms stretched to the ceiling, a belt held high under the lights. An intense night, just like them.