UFC president Dana White counts adding women to the UFC as the single best decision he ever made. In 2015, media attention was so high that Ronda Rousey was the third most searched for person on Earth. Fourth was Donald Trump.
However, women are also on the rise on the other side of the camera, with Amanda Westcott, Stephanie Trapp, and above all Esther Lin receiving special mention. Lin is considered by many to be the best photographer in mixed martial arts.
I feel like I bring empathy, she said to Lance Pugmire for the LA Times. There’s times I feel bad even as I’m taking the photograph. One of my mentors, he’ll be shooting a fight and tears are streaming down his face. Emotion is part of it, and I’ve always gotten wrapped up in that part of it.
There is blood in MMA, sometimes a lot of it, and Lin works on. Anderson Silva’s broken leg was tougher. And once …
I was standing in the corner once and this guy threw his bloody swab and it slid down behind my glasses, right down my face,” she said. “And I was like, ‘OK, yeah, that’s a little too much.’
I was pretty terrible when I started, I didn’t get any impact shots. It took me awhile to get my timing down. [Now] you get that intuition.
There should be a good, diverse group in every field, because when you have that, then you have good, diverse viewpoints. The more women in combat sports, the more wholly the sport will be covered.
