Photographing a UFC Champion at Work

By Adam Docker

For the last couple of years, I’ve had the privilege of filming Tom Aspinall, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, for TNT Sports. Once a month, my crew and I head up to a gym in St Helens to build the set for Tom Aspinall’s Fight Lab, a show Tom co-hosts with Adam Catterall and a special guest. It airs on TNT Sports as well as across social media and YouTube.

While we’re there to film the show, I always get a rare opportunity photographing Tom in his natural environment, training before the cameras roll.

Tom turns up early with his father and coach, joined by about ten other heavyweights, to go through the usual MMA mat work; the grind, the drills, the unseen hours that make champions. The atmosphere is focused but relaxed. There’s a camaraderie that’s unique to fight gyms, the mix of discipline and mutual respect.

Tom himself is exactly what you’d hope a champion to be: eloquent, grounded, and generous with his time. Seeing him become world champion was fantastic, even if it wasn’t in the way he had hoped, with Jon Jones retiring before they could meet in the Octagon.

On my last shoot, I came away with a set of portraits and action shots of Tom that I’m truly proud of. I love photographing sport, not just for the energy but for the chance to experiment, using slow shutter speeds and flash to create images full of movement and texture.

For me, movement in a photograph is magic. It makes the frame feel alive, as if it has a past and a future, like you’ve caught just one beat of a longer rhythm. In the gym, with Tom flowing from drill to drill, that rhythm is everywhere. You can almost feel the picture arriving from somewhere and heading somewhere else.

Tom Aspinall isn’t just a phenomenal fighter. He’s a reminder that you can reach the top without losing your humility. Working alongside him for Fight Lab has been a privilege, and photographing him in training has given me the chance to capture not just a world-class athlete, but a man dedicated to his craft, his team, and his sport.

The show is directed by Paul Tiochta / PM- Joshua Leak / DOP -Adam Docker / Camera Operator- John Cooper / Camera Operator -David Kennedy North / Camera Operator -Jack Keeble / Sound Operator-Mark Schofield / Assistants - Grace TSP, Leon D’Angelo Docker