The first part of Embrace Monkey, a two-part documentary series, is now released. It follows Linus, a Swedish amateur fighter from Gothenburg, as he prepares for one of the most important fights of his career. A moment where years of work narrow down to a single outcome.
What makes this project special to me is how unexpectedly it came together. I was contacted by Lukas from MMA Snacket, and what began as a conversation about possible collaborations slowly grew into something much bigger.
I hadn’t even met Linus before we started filming.
At that point, apart from a single phone call, everything unfolded on the day of filming.
We captured all the cinematic material in one intense six-hour session at Fighter Centre. Linus hadn’t eaten and didn’t expect the day to stretch that long, but we were fortunate. The facility was closed, the space was ours, and we had the freedom to move without interruption.
The facility was closed, and we had all day to follow the story wherever it needed to go.
My focus throughout the day was simple: capture as much interesting material as possible and trust that it would find its place later. That instinct proved right. Even after tightening the documentary significantly, nearly every scene found its way into the final cut in one form or another.
Linus had asked his teammate David to join for pad work, which added another layer to the session. Lukas was there as well, helping with anything we needed and keeping things moving. It was a long day, but a rewarding one.
I went home tired, wiser, and with a massive amount of footage waiting to be organized.
The shoot also taught me a lot. I became very aware of the limits of my gear, especially when it came to lighting. Those challenges stayed with me, but so did the lessons.
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