Our City Our People Our Heart

“People think it’s a barbaric, underground sport. But actually, most of it’s like a dance,” Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann

This work has followed the fighting community at Next Generation mixed martial arts gym in the city of Liverpool UK. The work documents a kinship among its men where strength, fighting instinct and competition exist alongside high intelligence and a gentleness as these boys and men seek psychological safety and male community in the discipline and haven of the gym.

This tight-knit community found its roots in California and ranges from 7 year olds to accomplished professional fighters, including UFC stars, who use their global platform to advocate for men’s mental health and high male suicide rates in this northern UK city.