Chris Rini’s latest book: The Fine Art of Violence, Volume 2

A collection of MMA art & essays chronicling Jan 1st – Dec 31st of the year 2020

Hey everyone, today marks the publication of The Fine Art of Violence, Volume 2. This book serves a purpose: addressing the hamster wheel that is the MMA schedule. Our sport lacks a climax, there is no Super Bowl or World Cup, something that allows us to take a deep breath, mentally reset and get excited for the future.

Visit chrisrini.com for a signed & numbered copy of this limited edition book.

The book sets some arbitrary bookends: From January 1st to December 31st I’d watch all the fights of consequence, draw them in a way that meaningfully conveys the unique quality of each fight and also depict the human body in a 21st century art historical context. On top of that, I hire seven sharp minds to write about these fights and two dynamic artists to add their style to the gallery. My goal is to make a book each year that a fan can pick up today or ten years in the future and flip through, get a sense of what was going on in the world of MMA, what stories were emerging, whose careers were peaking, whose sun was setting.

Please enjoy an animated sample of the work featuring an except from Chuck Mindenhall’s essay.

Here is a sample of Shaheen Al-Shatti’s essay on Dustin Poirier featuring artwork by myself and Edward Cao.

The group of people who helped create this book range from a former professional fighters turned writer, to established journalists, to a low key twitter gems who gets secretly hired to scout opponents. Edward Cao and Adam Nelson are excellent artists and it’s a pleasure to have my work alongside theirs.

Visit chrisrini.com for a signed & numbered copy of this limited edition book. Last year Volume 1 sold out in 3 days, and with the stellar cast listed below, I have high hopes for the future.

Thanks for reading, commenting on, and supporting MMA Squared. It’s been a pleasure working at bloodyelbow for the past three years and I appreciate all of you.

Chris