MMA Marketplace: Kinda cool Octagon art

Generally, anything I find on Etsy that is MMA-related is either tacky or snarky. Sometimes it's both. I was surprised to find this depiction of the Octagon that fits neither description.

MMA Marketplace: Kinda cool Octagon art

It's an abstract depiction of the UFC's Octagon, and if you look closely, you can see a fighter at the center of the cage. It is original art, so it doesn't come cheap. You can buy it here for $249.

Would you hang MMA-inspired art in your home? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Kinda-cool-Octagon-art?urn=mma-wp6907

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Ellenberger quickly KOs Shields in UFN 25 main event

Ellenberger quickly KOs Shields in UFN 25 main event

Jake Ellenberger notched a quick win over Jake Shields in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans on Saturday.

Shields twice attempted takedowns to start the fight, but Ellenberger shook them both off. Shields clinched with Ellenberger, who then delivered a knee to the body and another to the head. The knee to the head knocked Shields to the ground. Ellenberger jumped on top and threw several hammerfists until the fight was stopped at 0:53 of the first round. Shields appeared to be disoriented as he tried to continue the fight against referee Kevin Mulhall.

Ellenberger was elated about his performance.

"I was just trying to keep the pressure on him, and I came away with the W," said Ellenberger, who pocketed a $55,000 knockout of the night bonus for his efforts.

Though it was a tough loss, just walking into the cage was a win for Shields. Three weeks ago, his father -- who also served as Shields' manager and cornerman during fights -- passed away. Shields said before the fight that his father would have wanted him to fight, but that doesn't mean actually fighting was easy for him. He was not happy with the stoppage.

"I feel frustrated. I went down with a good hit. I wanted to keep fighting, but the ref thought it was time to stop it," Shields said.

For Ellenberger, this convincing victory catapults him into the UFC welterweight title picture. He has five wins in a row, with four of those wins coming by a stoppage. He is known to be a finisher, and he showed that off tonight.

Shields, the one-time Strikeforce middleweight champion, lost in his last bout, a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. This loss puts him at 0-2 on the year.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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? Former NBA player's embarrassing car sales pitch

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Ellenberger-quickly-KOs-Shields-in-UFN-25-main-e?urn=mma-wp7000

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Title belts, illegal kicks and more notes from the Strikeforce press conference

CINCINNATI -- Scott Coker started the Strikeforce post-fight press conference by pointing out that it was filled with unbelievable fights. More notes from the press conference:

-- Main event winner Josh Barnett quickly got to the heart of questions about the Strikeforce heavyweight championship by asking that his Grand Prix final match with Daniel Cormier be for the Strikeforce belt.

"Why don't we sweeten the pot? Why not put the belt on the line? The people that he had to step over to get it a real belt."

Coker asked Barnett to slow down, saying, "Let's keep it one step at a time." They expect that the fight will take place in the first quarter of 2012. Cormier's hand was wrapped up and said that he did hurt it, so the timing rests on his health.

-- Rockhold said that his prediction of a 4-0 night by American Kickboxing Academy was not just to hype the fights. Having trained with the fighters who all won, Rockhold said that they were all ready.

"It sucks to get hit by Mo," he said of Lawal.

-- Rockhold's win was in one of the tightest fights of the night. His opponent, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza asked for a rematch. Coker said it's not a bad idea, but Rockhold didn't seem as keen on it.

-- Mo Lawal, who was fighting for the first time in over a year, mentioned earlier in the week that he was unhappy with the buzz surrounding his fights. He pointed out how Strikeforce delivered again.

"I'm glad to be back. Tonight was a great night of fights. I'm speechless because there were so many great fights. Strikeforce, we always put on great fights," he said.

-- Pat Healy said that he wasn't surprised when Maximo Blanco peppered him with illegal kicks to the head. "I don't want to say he's cheap, but he's had a few incidents."

-- Lawal wants to win to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt, unless it's vacant.

"If Dan has belt, I want it. But if it's vacant, I don't want to fight for no vacant title. Real talk," Lawal said.

Coker was unsure if that can happen because Strikeforce is still negotiating with Henderson.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Title-belts-illegal-kicks-and-more-notes-from-t?urn=mma-wp6819

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Exclusive pictures from Ultimate Fight Night 25

Check out Tracy Lee's exclusive pictures from Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans. See Jake Ellenberger's quick win,  Alan Belcher's return and more from the UFC's first trip to Louisiana.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Exclusive-pictures-from-Ultimate-Fight-Night-25?urn=mma-wp7032

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Countdown Preview Show - Strikeforce

Fight Network previews Strikforce's heavyweight Grand Prix featuring Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers taking place on June 18, 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/strikeforce-overeem-vs-werdum-countdown-preview-show-video_927471d83.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Dana White Confirms Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua at UFC 139

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UFC 139 was once scheduled to host the UFC heavyweight championship, but after that bout was moved up a week to the UFC on FOX headliner, the search began for a replacement fight.

Now, it's set. Dan Henderson has re-signed with the promotion and will take on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at the event to be held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.



UFC president Dana White confirmed both Henderson's signing and the fight's booking to 5thRound.com after Tuesday's UFC on FOX press conference in Hollywood, California.

The bout was originally reported by MMA Weekly on Monday, but at the time, multiple sources told MMA Fighting that the deal was not yet done, though it was the intended direction of the promotion.

Signing with Strikeforce, Henderson (28-8) becomes the third organizational champion since the Zuffa-Strikeforce merger to vacate his belt, following welterweight Nick Diaz and heavyweight Alistair Overeem.

Henderson went 3-1 during his Strikeforce run, losing his debut bout to Jake Shields in a decision before scoring consecutive knockout wins over Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko.

The 41-year-old will be in his third go-round with the UFC. He won two matches in the organization in 1997, then spent several years fighting overseas in Japanese organizations before returning to the UFC in 2007, going 3-2 along the way.

Rua (20-5) is fresh off an August 27 first-round knockout win over Forrest Griffin at UFC Rio. It was Rua's first fight back since losing the light-heavyweight championship to Jon Jones.

UFC 139 also features former Strikeforce star Cung Le making his UFC debut against Vitor Belfort, and Brian Bowles facing Urijah Faber in a key bantamweight bout.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/21/dana-white-confirms-dan-henderson-vs-shogun-rua-at-ufc-139/

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott