Bas Rutten
Encyclopedia
Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (ˈbɑs ˈrʏtən; born February 24, 1965) is a retired Dutch
mixed martial artist, Karate
and Taekwondo
blackbelt, and kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak (21 wins, 1 draw). He is currently the co-host of Inside MMA
on HDNet
.
As a fighter, one of his favorite tactics was the liver shot
(both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA. Rutten is known for his charisma and has capitalized on his celebrity since retiring from fighting in 1999. He has worked as a color commentator
in several MMA organizations, including Pride, and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. He also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials.
and became interested in martial arts
at the age of 11 after his family went on vacation to France
, the movie Enter the Dragon
starring Bruce Lee
was playing at the local movie theatre. Bas wanted to go see the movie but he could not get in because he was just 11 years old and the movie was rated 18+, so he and his friend sneaked into the theatre and after the movie he became addicted to martial arts. His conservative parents didn't allow him to pursue it at first. He started to train boxing
at the backyard of an elementary school with a friend. He eventually started to train in Tae Kwon Do. He was very committed and eventually earned a 2nd degree Black Belt
. He then began learning Kyokushin
Karate
, and earned a 2nd degree Black Belt.
In high school, he was physically weak and had eczema
on his hands for which he was occasionally bullied.
kickboxing
. He fought 16 times and won the first 14 by knockout
, 13 in the first round. He lost his final two fights by TKO.
career with the Pancrase
organization in Japan. In 1993, Japanese pro wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki
and Minoru Suzuki
traveled to Holland to scout fighters for their new "hybrid wrestling" (Bushido wrestling) organization, featuring submission fighting, but with no closed fisted strikes to the face. A precursor to what would become modern mixed martial arts, the organization was the first of its kind, and featured such early MMA names as Frank Shamrock
, Vernon White
, Maurice Smith, Ken Shamrock
, and Guy Mezger
.
Rutten would go on to dominate his first two fights in Pancrase
, winning each fight by KO. Rutten's first knockout was so brutal that his opponent, Ryushi Yanagisawa (who was also the #4 ranked fighter in Japan at that time), had to be carried out of the ring and brought to the hospital in an ambulance where he spent 2 days recovering. Rutten's striking was so powerful that, according to Frank Shamrock
, it would often intimidate the other fighters. Frank Shamrock
said, "His kickboxing was devastating. It was something everybody feared. The other thing he had was a basic understanding of real fighting...Bas had that street fighter mentality."
However, his lack (at that time) of ground-fighting experience led to a loss to the extraordinarily skilled Masakatsu Funaki
. Rutten, realizing the importance of ground fighting, went to train with the master catch wrestler Funaki. The training paid off, as Rutten would KO the previously undefeated Minoru Suzuki
with a liver shot
due to a knee to the liver. Rutten later said that this win was one of the happiest moments of his life.
Just 20 days after the biggest win of his career to date, Rutten faced another steep test, fighting future UFC champion Ken Shamrock
, who at the time was one of the best fighters in the Pancrase organization. Rutten turned in a hard effort but ultimately lost the fight via rear naked choke
. Rutten bounced back after the loss to Shamrock with a submission win over Jason DeLucia
.
Rutten then participated in one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to date, the King of Pancrase Tournament
. The winner of this tournament would be crowned the first ever champion of Pancrase
. He was one of the four #1 seeds in the tournament and his first fight was against MMA newcomer (and future UFC champion) Frank Shamrock
. Rutten ended up losing a close (and somewhat controversial) decision in a fight that was considered to be a large upset, considering Rutten was a #1 seed in the tournament and Shamrock was, at the time, an unknown fighter making his MMA debut.
Rutten found a measure of redemption after the upset loss in the first round of the King of Pancrase Tournament
by choking out expert grappler and King of Pancrase Tournament
Finalist Manabu Yamada
in his next fight. With such an impressive showing against the tournament finalist, Rutten then received a rematch and a title shot against tournament winner and then current King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock
for the King of Pancrase title, but lost early in the fight via submission due to a kneebar.
After his second loss to Shamrock, Rutten focused on grappling even harder than before and started training 2 to 3 times a day solely on submissions. Rutten would then go on to win 7 out of his next 8 fights by submission. He put together a series of wins against future UFC champions Frank Shamrock
and Maurice Smith and eventually challenged King of Pancrase Minoru Suzuki
for the title. Rutten would beat Suzuki for the second time, winning his first King of Pancrase title. After putting his title defenses on hold due to an injury, Rutten returned to the ring and beat interim King of Pancrase Frank Shamrock
for the undisputed King of Pancrase title.
Rutten then avenged his loss to MMA legend Masakatsu Funaki
in 1996 in what is considered to be one of the greatest fights in Pancrase history. Rutten described the war with Funaki in an interview:
Rutten then went on to defend his title against both Jason Delucia
and Guy Mezger
and in so doing became a three time King of Pancrase. In 1996, he relinquished his title in order to be present for the birth of his second daughter. Rutten returned to Pancrase, taking 8 more victories, bringing his unbeaten streak up to 19 straight fights.
Rutten left Pancrase as one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the organization. MMA legend Ken Shamrock
was the only fighter in Rutten's career which did not avenge his losses to. In 2000, when Rutten was PRIDE FC's color commentator, a third fight with Shamrock was entertained. Rutten agreed to come out of retirement if it would be against Shamrock in a fight in PRIDE FC. However, Shamrock stated that he already beat Rutten twice and that a third time wasn't necessary. Later, in 2002, Rutten said that he would not want to fight Shamrock again even if it was offered to him because of the friendship they developed over the years, and that he would not be able to put his mind and heart into fighting Ken.
promotion in the United States
. Rutten entered the UFC with a massive amount of hype; he was undefeated in his last 19 fights and was touted by the organization as the greatest martial artist on the planet.
Rutten was originally scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Randy Couture
in a title match for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first fight, but Couture had a contract dispute and left the UFC to sign with a different promotion. The title was then stripped from Couture and a tournament of sorts was set up to determine the next champion.
Rutten's first fight in his quest for the UFC belt was against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at UFC 18
, which Rutten dramatically won by KO
with just a minute left in overtime.
On May 5, 1999, at UFC 20
, Rutten faced Kevin Randleman
for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The first four minutes consisted of Rutten taking a lot of punishment from his guard. However, after the fight was stood up to check Rutten's cut, Rutten landed a devastating liver kick to Randleman's body to turn the tide of the fight. Randleman's pace slowed down considerably after the liver kick, which ultimately helped Rutten score judges' points by being the more active fighter. Rutten pounded away at Randleman from inside his guard, using elbow strikes to open up cuts on top of Randleman's head and punching Randleman to the face. The fight went into overtime, with Rutten taking a very close split decision victory to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Judging at that point was not based on the current 10 points per round system, but who the judges felt won the fight overall.
Rutten vacated the title later in the year, in order to drop down to middleweight
(now known as light heavyweight
) a weight closer to his natural weight, in a bid to try to become the first person to hold a UFC title in two weight classes.
While training for his next UFC fight in 1999, Rutten suffered multiple serious injuries, including blowing out his knee
(a long running injury), tearing his biceps
, and suffering a neck injury. He was forced to retire from MMA competition for the time being, by doctors orders.
During his MMA career he became known for two particular things: his fondness of liver shot
s and his habit of doing a jumping split after winning a fight. Rutten talked about the origins of the "Rutten Jump" on his website: "When I won my first fight in Pancrase
, I was so hyped that I jumped up in the splits to each side of the ring. Why? I don't know. But, it became my trademark and I had to do it after every fight that I won."
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz
has credited Rutten for inspiration during his early days. Ortiz said; "I looked up to Bas Rutten. Bas was my idol. People were just so scared of fighting him, he was like the man. I thought that was what I need to do now. If I train as hard as he does then one day I'll be as good as him and two years later look where I am, I'm on top of the world. I'm got to say thanks to him, (Bas) for helping me out by making me believe in dreams."
, 18 Wheels of Justice, The King of Queens
, "Lights Out" and the Canadian series Freedom, as well as appearing in low budget movies such as Shadow Fury
, The Eliminator
, and the comedy short The Kingdom of Ultimate Power which was featured in the 2005 L.A. Film Festival. It also won the first prize at the short film festival in NY for "best comedy".
Rutten performed a few times for NJPW
from 2000 to 2002, including an IWGP title match against Yuji Nagata
.
Rutten was also the color commentator
for the English productions of Pride Fighting Championships events, calling nearly every event from Pride 1
through the 2005 Grand Prix. Known for his sense of humor and first hand knowledge of the sport, Rutten quickly became a fan favorite commentator. In April 2006 he announced that he would not continue to announce for Pride, due to the constant flying to Japan, and being away from his family every month.
Rutten has a cameo in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV
" on the in-game TV show called "The Men's Room." He also did motion capture for the main character's fighting moves. He said that when he arrived at the motion-capture place in New York he asked the people in charge how violent they wanted to have it and they told him to "give it all he got". After two hours they stopped him and said, "It's OK, you don't have to go any further".
He was also featured in WCW vs. the World
for the PlayStation, but was named "Thunder Dome" to avoid copyright laws.
On January 23, 2008, he was announced as the new Vice President, Fighter Operations reporting directly to IFL CEO Jay Larkin. His role was to build relations between the IFL and its fighters as well as work on potential match-ups between fighters. He also hosted the weekly shows "Battleground" and "International Fight League" with Kenny Rice
. This all ended when IFL went out of business in late 2008.
Currently, he and Rice host Inside MMA
, a weekly MMA variety show on HDNet
. The pair also did remote English commentary and play-by-play for Dream
events broadcast in North America on HDNet. The pair were eventually replaced by Guy Mezger
and Michael Schiavello
, who attend the events live in Japan. He is currently appearing in public health service ads, airing on Cartoon Network
.
and Pancrase
.
Rutten coached Mark Kerr during the filming of the HBO documentary The Smashing Machine
.
In 2006 Rutten was tapped to coach a team for the International Fight League
, an MMA organization that focused on team combat. His team, the Anacondas, defeated the Silverbacks
3–2.
Rutten is a former investor in the Legends MMA gym in Hollywood and used to teach there occasionally.
Rutten is now a part owner of the MMA gym Bas Rutten's Elite Mixed Martial Arts in Thousand Oaks, California. He teaches an MMA class on Tuesdays.
He also trained former street fighter Kimbo Slice
for his professional MMA bouts, as well as former Ring of Honor
champion and TNA
World champion Samoa Joe
.
in the now defunct World Fighting Alliance
on July 22, 2006, at The Forum in Los Angeles. Two days before the event, Kimo tested positive for Stanozolol
, an anabolic steroid
. In place of Kimo, Rutten fought Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
. Rutten took a first-round victory by way of technical knockout after low kicks left his opponent unable to stand. With that he brought up his professional record to 28 wins 4 losses and 1 draw.
with his wife Karin and three daughters, Sabine who is 16, , and twin daughters, Rachel , and Bianca who are 12.
Rutten is known by the moniker "El Guapo", which means "The Handsome One" in Spanish. Rutten recently became a citizen of the United States.
s, each of which is intended to help him spiritually
and emotionally:
During Rutten's career, whenever he had a fight, he would write two capital "R"s on the back of his hands with a magic marker. The "R" stood for Rustig, the Dutch word for "calm". This was intended to help him remember to stay calm during his fights.
Mixed Martial Arts
| Win
|align=center| 28–4–1
| Ruben Villareal
| TKO (leg kicks)
| WFA: King of the Streets
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:24
| Los Angeles, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 27–4–1
| Kevin Randleman
| Decision (split)
| UFC 20
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 21:00
| Birmingham, Alabama
, United States
| Won UFC Heavyweight Championship.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 26–4–1
| Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 18
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 14:15
| Kenner, Louisiana
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 25–4–1
| Kengo Watanabe
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: 1998 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:58
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 24–4–1
| Keiichiro Yamamiya
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Alive 11
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:58
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 23–4–1
| Osami Shibuya
| Submission (Bas Rutten Neck Crank)
| Pancrase: 1997 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:15
| Urayasu, Chiba
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 22–4–1
| Takaku Fuke
| Submission (armbar)
| Pancrase: Alive 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:28
| Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 21–4–1
| Kiuma Kunioku
| Decision (lost points)
| Pancrase: Alive 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Urayasu, Chiba
, Japan
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 20–4–1
| Osami Shibuya
| Draw
| Pancrase: Alive 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Nagoya, Aichi
, Japan
| Broke his sternum mid-fight and had to have surgery
|-
| Win
|align=center| 20–4
| Manabu Yamada
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Truth 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:54
| Nagoya, Aichi
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 19–4
| Masakatsu Funaki
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 17:05
| Urayasu, Chiba
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 18–4
| Jason Delucia
| TKO (liver shot)
| Pancrase: Truth 6
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 8:48
| Fukuoka, Fukuoka
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 17–4
| Frank Shamrock
| TKO (cut)
| Pancrase: Truth 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 11:11
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–4
| Katsuomi Inagaki
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: Truth 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 14:07
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–4
| Guy Mezger
| Submission (heel hook)
| Pancrase: Truth 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 19:36
| Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–4
| Ryushi Yanagisawa
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 27:35
| Sapporo, Hokkaido
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–4
| Maurice Smith
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 6
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:34
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–4
| Minoru Suzuki
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: 1995 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:35
| Tokyo
, Japan
| Won King of Pancrase title
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–4
| Frank Shamrock
| Decision (split)
| Pancrase: 1995 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–4
| Jason Delucia
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:32
| Sapporo, Hokkaido
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–4
| Maurice Smith
| Submission (kneebar)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:10
| Urayasu, Chiba
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–4
| Takaku Fuke
| Submission (heel hook)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:52
| Nagoya, Aichi
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–4
| Ken Shamrock
| Submission (kneebar)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:01
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| For King of Pancrase title
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–3
| Manabu Yamada
| Technical Submission (arm triangle choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:05
| Nagoya, Aichi
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 6–3
| Frank Shamrock
| Decision (majority)
| Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 10:00
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–2
| Jason Delucia
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:43
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 5–2
| Ken Shamrock
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 16:42
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
| Minoru Suzuki
| KO (knee to the liver)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:43
| Amagasaki, Hyogo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
| Kazuo Takahashi
| TKO (broken shin)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:37
| Tokyo
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–1
| Vernon White
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: Pancrash! 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:16
| Osaka, Osaka, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 2–1
| Masakatsu Funaki
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Pancrash! 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:58
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
| Takaku Fuke
| KO (knee to the body)
| Pancrase - Yes, We are Hybrid Wrestlers 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:03
| Nagoya, Aichi
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| Ryushi Yanagisawa
| KO (palm strike)
| Pancrase - Yes, We are Hybrid Wrestlers 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:43
| Urayasu, Chiba
, Japan
|
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
mixed martial artist, Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
and Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
blackbelt, and kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak (21 wins, 1 draw). He is currently the co-host of Inside MMA
Inside MMA
Inside MMA is an hour-long program on Mark Cuban's HDNet television network hosted by Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice. The hosts, along with a revolving panel of three guests, provide commentary on mixed martial arts events around the globe...
on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
As a fighter, one of his favorite tactics was the liver shot
Liver shot
A liver shot is a punch, kick, or knee strike to the right side of the ribcage that damages the liver. Blunt force to the liver can be excruciatingly painful, and an especially effective shot will incapacitate a person...
(both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA. Rutten is known for his charisma and has capitalized on his celebrity since retiring from fighting in 1999. He has worked as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
in several MMA organizations, including Pride, and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. He also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials.
Early life
Rutten was born in Eindhoven, NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and became interested in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
at the age of 11 after his family went on vacation to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the movie Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts co-production with Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. studios, directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This is Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973...
starring Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
was playing at the local movie theatre. Bas wanted to go see the movie but he could not get in because he was just 11 years old and the movie was rated 18+, so he and his friend sneaked into the theatre and after the movie he became addicted to martial arts. His conservative parents didn't allow him to pursue it at first. He started to train boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at the backyard of an elementary school with a friend. He eventually started to train in Tae Kwon Do. He was very committed and eventually earned a 2nd degree Black Belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
. He then began learning Kyokushin
Kyokushin
is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui . Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training...
Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, and earned a 2nd degree Black Belt.
In high school, he was physically weak and had eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
on his hands for which he was occasionally bullied.
Kickboxing
At the age of 20 he started competing in Muay ThaiMuay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
. He fought 16 times and won the first 14 by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
, 13 in the first round. He lost his final two fights by TKO.
Pancrase
Rutten then began his professional mixed martial artsMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
career with the Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
organization in Japan. In 1993, Japanese pro wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
and Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
traveled to Holland to scout fighters for their new "hybrid wrestling" (Bushido wrestling) organization, featuring submission fighting, but with no closed fisted strikes to the face. A precursor to what would become modern mixed martial arts, the organization was the first of its kind, and featured such early MMA names as Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
, Vernon White
Vernon White
Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...
, Maurice Smith, Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
, and Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...
.
Rutten would go on to dominate his first two fights in Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
, winning each fight by KO. Rutten's first knockout was so brutal that his opponent, Ryushi Yanagisawa (who was also the #4 ranked fighter in Japan at that time), had to be carried out of the ring and brought to the hospital in an ambulance where he spent 2 days recovering. Rutten's striking was so powerful that, according to Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
, it would often intimidate the other fighters. Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
said, "His kickboxing was devastating. It was something everybody feared. The other thing he had was a basic understanding of real fighting...Bas had that street fighter mentality."
However, his lack (at that time) of ground-fighting experience led to a loss to the extraordinarily skilled Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
. Rutten, realizing the importance of ground fighting, went to train with the master catch wrestler Funaki. The training paid off, as Rutten would KO the previously undefeated Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
with a liver shot
Liver shot
A liver shot is a punch, kick, or knee strike to the right side of the ribcage that damages the liver. Blunt force to the liver can be excruciatingly painful, and an especially effective shot will incapacitate a person...
due to a knee to the liver. Rutten later said that this win was one of the happiest moments of his life.
Just 20 days after the biggest win of his career to date, Rutten faced another steep test, fighting future UFC champion Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
, who at the time was one of the best fighters in the Pancrase organization. Rutten turned in a hard effort but ultimately lost the fight via rear naked choke
Rear naked choke
The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
. Rutten bounced back after the loss to Shamrock with a submission win over Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia is a retired American mixed martial artist. . He holds victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Matt Hume, Minoru Suzuki, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kiuma Kunioku, Chris Lytle, and Manabu Yamada...
.
Rutten then participated in one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to date, the King of Pancrase Tournament
Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
-External links:* *...
. The winner of this tournament would be crowned the first ever champion of Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
. He was one of the four #1 seeds in the tournament and his first fight was against MMA newcomer (and future UFC champion) Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
. Rutten ended up losing a close (and somewhat controversial) decision in a fight that was considered to be a large upset, considering Rutten was a #1 seed in the tournament and Shamrock was, at the time, an unknown fighter making his MMA debut.
Rutten found a measure of redemption after the upset loss in the first round of the King of Pancrase Tournament
Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
-External links:* *...
by choking out expert grappler and King of Pancrase Tournament
Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round
Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round was a mixed martial arts event held by Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. It took place at Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on December 17, 1994...
Finalist Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada Is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He is best known for his participation in the Pancrase fighting organization. He holds notable wins over Frank Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Matt Hume, Jason Delucia, and Vernon White. Yamada has also fought Ken...
in his next fight. With such an impressive showing against the tournament finalist, Rutten then received a rematch and a title shot against tournament winner and then current King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
for the King of Pancrase title, but lost early in the fight via submission due to a kneebar.
After his second loss to Shamrock, Rutten focused on grappling even harder than before and started training 2 to 3 times a day solely on submissions. Rutten would then go on to win 7 out of his next 8 fights by submission. He put together a series of wins against future UFC champions Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
and Maurice Smith and eventually challenged King of Pancrase Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
for the title. Rutten would beat Suzuki for the second time, winning his first King of Pancrase title. After putting his title defenses on hold due to an injury, Rutten returned to the ring and beat interim King of Pancrase Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
for the undisputed King of Pancrase title.
Rutten then avenged his loss to MMA legend Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
in 1996 in what is considered to be one of the greatest fights in Pancrase history. Rutten described the war with Funaki in an interview:
Rutten then went on to defend his title against both Jason Delucia
Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia is a retired American mixed martial artist. . He holds victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Matt Hume, Minoru Suzuki, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kiuma Kunioku, Chris Lytle, and Manabu Yamada...
and Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...
and in so doing became a three time King of Pancrase. In 1996, he relinquished his title in order to be present for the birth of his second daughter. Rutten returned to Pancrase, taking 8 more victories, bringing his unbeaten streak up to 19 straight fights.
Rutten left Pancrase as one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the organization. MMA legend Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
was the only fighter in Rutten's career which did not avenge his losses to. In 2000, when Rutten was PRIDE FC's color commentator, a third fight with Shamrock was entertained. Rutten agreed to come out of retirement if it would be against Shamrock in a fight in PRIDE FC. However, Shamrock stated that he already beat Rutten twice and that a third time wasn't necessary. Later, in 2002, Rutten said that he would not want to fight Shamrock again even if it was offered to him because of the friendship they developed over the years, and that he would not be able to put his mind and heart into fighting Ken.
UFC
In 1998, Rutten signed with the UFC, the biggest MMAMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
promotion in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Rutten entered the UFC with a massive amount of hype; he was undefeated in his last 19 fights and was touted by the organization as the greatest martial artist on the planet.
Rutten was originally scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
in a title match for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first fight, but Couture had a contract dispute and left the UFC to sign with a different promotion. The title was then stripped from Couture and a tournament of sorts was set up to determine the next champion.
Rutten's first fight in his quest for the UFC belt was against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at UFC 18
UFC 18
UFC 18: The Road to the Heavyweight Title was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 8, 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, which Rutten dramatically won by KO
Ko
Ko or KO may refer to:* Ko , a Tamil action movie directed by K.V. Anand released in April 2011* Ko , the romanization of the Japanese kana こ and コ* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin*Ko, Lamphun, Thailand...
with just a minute left in overtime.
On May 5, 1999, at UFC 20
UFC 20
UFC 20: Battle for the Gold was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 7, 1999 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama...
, Rutten faced Kevin Randleman
Kevin Randleman
Kevin Christopher Randleman is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background is in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for The Ohio State University...
for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The first four minutes consisted of Rutten taking a lot of punishment from his guard. However, after the fight was stood up to check Rutten's cut, Rutten landed a devastating liver kick to Randleman's body to turn the tide of the fight. Randleman's pace slowed down considerably after the liver kick, which ultimately helped Rutten score judges' points by being the more active fighter. Rutten pounded away at Randleman from inside his guard, using elbow strikes to open up cuts on top of Randleman's head and punching Randleman to the face. The fight went into overtime, with Rutten taking a very close split decision victory to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Judging at that point was not based on the current 10 points per round system, but who the judges felt won the fight overall.
Rutten vacated the title later in the year, in order to drop down to middleweight
Middleweight (MMA)
The middleweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Strikeforce's middleweight division, which groups competitors within 171 to 185 lb...
(now known as light heavyweight
Light Heavyweight (MMA)
The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....
) a weight closer to his natural weight, in a bid to try to become the first person to hold a UFC title in two weight classes.
While training for his next UFC fight in 1999, Rutten suffered multiple serious injuries, including blowing out his knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
(a long running injury), tearing his biceps
Biceps
Biceps may refer to:*Biceps brachii muscle, a muscle located on the inside of the upper arm*Biceps femoris muscle, one of the hamstring muscles of the back of each thigh*Biceps , a point in a metrical pattern...
, and suffering a neck injury. He was forced to retire from MMA competition for the time being, by doctors orders.
During his MMA career he became known for two particular things: his fondness of liver shot
Liver shot
A liver shot is a punch, kick, or knee strike to the right side of the ribcage that damages the liver. Blunt force to the liver can be excruciatingly painful, and an especially effective shot will incapacitate a person...
s and his habit of doing a jumping split after winning a fight. Rutten talked about the origins of the "Rutten Jump" on his website: "When I won my first fight in Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
, I was so hyped that I jumped up in the splits to each side of the ring. Why? I don't know. But, it became my trademark and I had to do it after every fight that I won."
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
has credited Rutten for inspiration during his early days. Ortiz said; "I looked up to Bas Rutten. Bas was my idol. People were just so scared of fighting him, he was like the man. I thought that was what I need to do now. If I train as hard as he does then one day I'll be as good as him and two years later look where I am, I'm on top of the world. I'm got to say thanks to him, (Bas) for helping me out by making me believe in dreams."
Post-fight career
After his retirement from fighting in 1999, Rutten focused on becoming an actor, getting small parts on TV shows such as Martial LawMartial Law (TV series)
Martial Law was a TV crime drama that ran on CBS from 1998 to 2000, and was created by Carlton Cuse. The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US.The show was a...
, 18 Wheels of Justice, The King of Queens
The King of Queens
The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures...
, "Lights Out" and the Canadian series Freedom, as well as appearing in low budget movies such as Shadow Fury
Shadow Fury
-Plot:A discovery in the near future makes it possible to create genetically engineered and enhanced human clones. The consequence of this discovery results in bio-ethical chaos. In order to right this wrong, the World Health Organization imposes a global ban on all human cloning activity...
, The Eliminator
The Eliminator (film)
The Eliminator is a 2004 direct-to-video action film starring UFC champion Bas Rutten.The film was directed by Ken Barbet.-Plot:Former LAPD cop, Dakota Varley , enters a power boat race seeking the prize of $250,000, but immediately discovers, first hand, that this race's risk matches the prize:...
, and the comedy short The Kingdom of Ultimate Power which was featured in the 2005 L.A. Film Festival. It also won the first prize at the short film festival in NY for "best comedy".
Rutten performed a few times for NJPW
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
from 2000 to 2002, including an IWGP title match against Yuji Nagata
Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was known for his perennial tweener status, currently a solid fan favorite, and his stiff, shoot style wrestling technique....
.
Rutten was also the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the English productions of Pride Fighting Championships events, calling nearly every event from Pride 1
PRIDE 1
Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....
through the 2005 Grand Prix. Known for his sense of humor and first hand knowledge of the sport, Rutten quickly became a fan favorite commentator. In April 2006 he announced that he would not continue to announce for Pride, due to the constant flying to Japan, and being away from his family every month.
Rutten has a cameo in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
" on the in-game TV show called "The Men's Room." He also did motion capture for the main character's fighting moves. He said that when he arrived at the motion-capture place in New York he asked the people in charge how violent they wanted to have it and they told him to "give it all he got". After two hours they stopped him and said, "It's OK, you don't have to go any further".
He was also featured in WCW vs. the World
WCW vs. the World
WCW vs. the World is a professional wrestling video game released in 1997 for the PlayStation video game console. It was the first game developed by The Man Breeze to be released outside of Japan and the second wrestling game for the PlayStation, following Power Move Pro Wrestling. WCW vs...
for the PlayStation, but was named "Thunder Dome" to avoid copyright laws.
On January 23, 2008, he was announced as the new Vice President, Fighter Operations reporting directly to IFL CEO Jay Larkin. His role was to build relations between the IFL and its fighters as well as work on potential match-ups between fighters. He also hosted the weekly shows "Battleground" and "International Fight League" with Kenny Rice
Kenny Rice
Kenny Rice is an American Sportscaster known nationally for his horse racing reporting with NBC and MMA coverage for HDNet.-Biography:Kenny Rice was born July 28, 1956 in McDowell, KY. He grew up in the town of Eastern, and began his career as a disc jockey while in high school for WDOC...
. This all ended when IFL went out of business in late 2008.
Currently, he and Rice host Inside MMA
Inside MMA
Inside MMA is an hour-long program on Mark Cuban's HDNet television network hosted by Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice. The hosts, along with a revolving panel of three guests, provide commentary on mixed martial arts events around the globe...
, a weekly MMA variety show on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
. The pair also did remote English commentary and play-by-play for Dream
DREAM (mixed martial arts)
Dream is a mixed martial arts organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, Hero's. The series retains many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC...
events broadcast in North America on HDNet. The pair were eventually replaced by Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...
and Michael Schiavello
Michael Schiavello
Michael Schiavello is an Australian sports commentator for K-1, Dream, Maximum Fighting Championship, King of the Cage and The Contender Asia. He has also written for more than 50 publications worldwide and was the long-serving editor of Blitz Magazine, and was also the editor of International...
, who attend the events live in Japan. He is currently appearing in public health service ads, airing on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
.
Coaching
He is certified as an instructor of both MTBN Thai BoxingMuay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
and Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
.
Rutten coached Mark Kerr during the filming of the HBO documentary The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr
The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr is a documentary about the mixed martial arts career and personal life of Mark Kerr...
.
In 2006 Rutten was tapped to coach a team for the International Fight League
International Fight League
The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...
, an MMA organization that focused on team combat. His team, the Anacondas, defeated the Silverbacks
Quad City Silverbacks
The Quad Cities Silverbacks are an International Fight League team based in the Quad Cities region of the USA. Coached by former UFC Middleweight and Lightweight Champion and founder of the very successful Miletich Fighting Systems camp, Pat Miletich, the Silverbacks were one of four teams...
3–2.
Rutten is a former investor in the Legends MMA gym in Hollywood and used to teach there occasionally.
Rutten is now a part owner of the MMA gym Bas Rutten's Elite Mixed Martial Arts in Thousand Oaks, California. He teaches an MMA class on Tuesdays.
He also trained former street fighter Kimbo Slice
Kimbo Slice
Kevin Ferguson , better known as Kimbo Slice, is a Bahamian-American boxer, mixed martial artist and occasional actor...
for his professional MMA bouts, as well as former Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
champion and TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
World champion Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
.
Last fight
On May 2006, Rutten announced his return to MMA competition. Cleared by doctors to fight again, Rutten was slated to face Kimo LeopoldoKimo Leopoldo
Kimo Leopoldo , or simply Kimo, is an American mixed martial artist. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994 losing to Royce Gracie by submission. Kimo's fighting style has been described as freestyle, with a mixture of striking and grappling techniques.He was credited with a black belt in Taekwondo...
in the now defunct World Fighting Alliance
World Fighting Alliance
The World Fighting Alliance was a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.Originally owned and organized by MMA Legend and trainer John Lewis and nightclub operator and "Club Rubber" promoter John Huntington along with Lawyer Louis Palazzo , the WFA began promoting events after...
on July 22, 2006, at The Forum in Los Angeles. Two days before the event, Kimo tested positive for Stanozolol
Stanozolol
Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol , Tenabol and Winstrol Depot , was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962...
, an anabolic steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
. In place of Kimo, Rutten fought Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
Ruben Villareal
Ruben "Warpath" Villareal is an American MMA fighter, former Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Champion, and former professional wrestler. He has kept his pro-wrestling persona while competing in MMA, including wearing makeup on his face while fighting. He is known for his willingness to fight at...
. Rutten took a first-round victory by way of technical knockout after low kicks left his opponent unable to stand. With that he brought up his professional record to 28 wins 4 losses and 1 draw.
Personal life
Rutten currently lives in Westlake Village, CaliforniaWestlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...
with his wife Karin and three daughters, Sabine who is 16, , and twin daughters, Rachel , and Bianca who are 12.
Rutten is known by the moniker "El Guapo", which means "The Handsome One" in Spanish. Rutten recently became a citizen of the United States.
Tattoos
Rutten has several tattooTattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s, each of which is intended to help him spiritually
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and emotionally:
During Rutten's career, whenever he had a fight, he would write two capital "R"s on the back of his hands with a magic marker. The "R" stood for Rustig, the Dutch word for "calm". This was intended to help him remember to stay calm during his fights.
Mixed Martial ArtsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
- Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling
- King of Pancrase Openweight Championship (Three time)
- Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipUltimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
- UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
|-| Win
|align=center| 28–4–1
| Ruben Villareal
Ruben Villareal
Ruben "Warpath" Villareal is an American MMA fighter, former Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Champion, and former professional wrestler. He has kept his pro-wrestling persona while competing in MMA, including wearing makeup on his face while fighting. He is known for his willingness to fight at...
| TKO (leg kicks)
| WFA: King of the Streets
WFA: King of the Streets
WFA: King of the Streets was a mixed martial arts event held by World Fighting Alliance on July 22, 2006 at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California, USA. This would be the last event held by the World Fighting Alliance. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States via iN...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:24
| Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 27–4–1
| Kevin Randleman
Kevin Randleman
Kevin Christopher Randleman is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background is in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for The Ohio State University...
| Decision (split)
| UFC 20
UFC 20
UFC 20: Battle for the Gold was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 7, 1999 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 21:00
| Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, United States
| Won UFC Heavyweight Championship.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 26–4–1
| Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 18
UFC 18
UFC 18: The Road to the Heavyweight Title was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 8, 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 14:15
| Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 25–4–1
| Kengo Watanabe
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: 1998 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:58
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 24–4–1
| Keiichiro Yamamiya
Keiichiro Yamamiya
Keiichiro Yamamiya is a Japanese mixed martial artists. After regularly competing in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, Yamamiya now competes in the welterweight division...
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Alive 11
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:58
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 23–4–1
| Osami Shibuya
| Submission (Bas Rutten Neck Crank)
| Pancrase: 1997 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:15
| Urayasu, Chiba
Urayasu, Chiba
is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 22–4–1
| Takaku Fuke
| Submission (armbar)
| Pancrase: Alive 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:28
| Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 21–4–1
| Kiuma Kunioku
Kiuma Kunioku
is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at welterweight.His hometown is Osaka, but he is currently living and training in Tokyo as freelance...
| Decision (lost points)
| Pancrase: Alive 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Urayasu, Chiba
Urayasu, Chiba
is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Japan
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 20–4–1
| Osami Shibuya
| Draw
| Pancrase: Alive 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
| Broke his sternum mid-fight and had to have surgery
|-
| Win
|align=center| 20–4
| Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada Is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He is best known for his participation in the Pancrase fighting organization. He holds notable wins over Frank Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Matt Hume, Jason Delucia, and Vernon White. Yamada has also fought Ken...
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Truth 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:54
| Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 19–4
| Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 17:05
| Urayasu, Chiba
Urayasu, Chiba
is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 18–4
| Jason Delucia
Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia is a retired American mixed martial artist. . He holds victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Matt Hume, Minoru Suzuki, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kiuma Kunioku, Chris Lytle, and Manabu Yamada...
| TKO (liver shot)
| Pancrase: Truth 6
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 8:48
| Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 17–4
| Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
| TKO (cut)
| Pancrase: Truth 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 11:11
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–4
| Katsuomi Inagaki
| TKO (lost points)
| Pancrase: Truth 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 14:07
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–4
| Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...
| Submission (heel hook)
| Pancrase: Truth 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 19:36
| Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–4
| Ryushi Yanagisawa
Ryūshi Yanagisawa
Ryūshi Yanagisawa is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. His real name is Atsushi Yanagisawa . As a martial artist, he competed in K-1, Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling and Fighting Network RINGS and holds victories over Oleg Taktarov, Paul Varelans, Vernon White, Jason...
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 7
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 27:35
| Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo, Hokkaido
is the fourth-largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan....
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–4
| Maurice Smith
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 6
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:34
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–4
| Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: 1995 Anniversary Show
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:35
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
| Won King of Pancrase title
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–4
| Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
| Decision (split)
| Pancrase: 1995 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 15:00
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–4
| Jason Delucia
Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia is a retired American mixed martial artist. . He holds victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Matt Hume, Minoru Suzuki, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kiuma Kunioku, Chris Lytle, and Manabu Yamada...
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:32
| Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo, Hokkaido
is the fourth-largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan....
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–4
| Maurice Smith
| Submission (kneebar)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:10
| Urayasu, Chiba
Urayasu, Chiba
is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–4
| Takaku Fuke
| Submission (heel hook)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:52
| Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–4
| Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
| Submission (kneebar)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:01
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| For King of Pancrase title
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–3
| Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada
Manabu Yamada Is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He is best known for his participation in the Pancrase fighting organization. He holds notable wins over Frank Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Matt Hume, Jason Delucia, and Vernon White. Yamada has also fought Ken...
| Technical Submission (arm triangle choke)
| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:05
| Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 6–3
| Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
| Decision (majority)
| Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
Pancrase - King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
-External links:* *...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 10:00
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–2
| Jason Delucia
Jason DeLucia
Jason DeLucia is a retired American mixed martial artist. . He holds victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Matt Hume, Minoru Suzuki, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kiuma Kunioku, Chris Lytle, and Manabu Yamada...
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:43
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 5–2
| Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 16:42
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
| Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
| KO (knee to the liver)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:43
| Amagasaki, Hyogo
Amagasaki, Hyogo
is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1916. Its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971.-History:...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
| Kazuo Takahashi
Kazuo Takahashi
Kazuo Takahashi, ring name Yoshiki Takahashi is a Japanese former mixed martial artist. He has competed in many large MMA promotions, including the UFC, Pancrase, and Pride Fighting Championships. Takahashi is best known for his incredible toughness, heart, and will to win...
| TKO (broken shin)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:37
| Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–1
| Vernon White
Vernon White
Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Pancrase: Pancrash! 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:16
| Osaka, Osaka, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 2–1
| Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
| Submission (toe hold)
| Pancrase: Pancrash! 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:58
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
| Takaku Fuke
| KO (knee to the body)
| Pancrase - Yes, We are Hybrid Wrestlers 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:03
| Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| Ryushi Yanagisawa
Ryūshi Yanagisawa
Ryūshi Yanagisawa is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. His real name is Atsushi Yanagisawa . As a martial artist, he competed in K-1, Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling and Fighting Network RINGS and holds victories over Oleg Taktarov, Paul Varelans, Vernon White, Jason...
| KO (palm strike)
| Pancrase - Yes, We are Hybrid Wrestlers 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:43
| Urayasu, Chiba
Urayasu, Chiba
is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Japan
|
Filmography
- Shadow of the Dragon (1992)
- Shadow Fury (2001)
- The Smashing Machine (documentary) (2002)
- The EliminatorThe Eliminator (film)The Eliminator is a 2004 direct-to-video action film starring UFC champion Bas Rutten.The film was directed by Ken Barbet.-Plot:Former LAPD cop, Dakota Varley , enters a power boat race seeking the prize of $250,000, but immediately discovers, first hand, that this race's risk matches the prize:...
(2004) - The Vault (2005)
- The Kingdom of Ultimate Power (2005)
- Backlash (2006)
- Potent (documentary) (2008)
- Never Back Down (Special Features) (2008)
- Sinners & SaintsSinners & Saints (film)Sinners and Saints is a 2010 action-thriller film directed by and co-written by William Kaufman. It stars Johnny Strong, Kevin Phillips, Costas Mandylor, Sean Patrick Flanery, Bas Rutten, Method Man, Kim Coates and Tom Berenger. The film is set in the dark underbelly of New Orleans...
(2009) - Paul Blart Mall Cop (2009)
Film and television credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Shadow of the Dragon | Kismet | Film |
| 1999 | Martial Law Martial law Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law... |
Roman Van Reit | TV Episode: "Nitro Man" |
| 2000 | Freedom | The Bad Guy | TV Episode: "Lonewolf" |
| 2000 | The King of Queens The King of Queens The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures... |
Emil | TV Episode: "Party Favors" |
| 2001 | Shadow Fury | Kismet (Adult) | Film |
| 2002 | The Smashing Machine | Himself | Documentary Documentary A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:... |
| 2002 | Modern Warriors | Himself | Documentary Documentary A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:... |
| 2002 | NJPW Samurai TV | Himself | TV series |
| 2004 | The Eliminator The Eliminator (film) The Eliminator is a 2004 direct-to-video action film starring UFC champion Bas Rutten.The film was directed by Ken Barbet.-Plot:Former LAPD cop, Dakota Varley , enters a power boat race seeking the prize of $250,000, but immediately discovers, first hand, that this race's risk matches the prize:... |
Dakota Varley | Film |
| 2005 | The Vault | General Matos | Film |
| 2005 | The King of Queens The King of Queens The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures... |
Niles | TV Episode: "Deconstructing Carrie" |
| 2005 | The Kingdom of Ultimate Power | Vlad Rifka | Short |
| 2006 | IFL: International Fight League International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008... |
Announcer | TV series |
| 2006 | Backlash | Grazer | Film |
| 2007 | Fight Science Fight Science Fight Science is a television program shown on the National Geographic Channel in which scientists and martial arts masters work together to analyze the world's fighting techniques, to compare the disciplines and to find out which one has the strongest hits, kicks and deadliest weapons... |
Himself | TV Documentary Documentary A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:... |
| 2007 | The Modern Warrior | Himself | TV Documentary Documentary A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:... |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV Grand Theft Auto IV Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system... |
Himself (voice) | Video Game |
| 2008 | Fight Science Fight Science Fight Science is a television program shown on the National Geographic Channel in which scientists and martial arts masters work together to analyze the world's fighting techniques, to compare the disciplines and to find out which one has the strongest hits, kicks and deadliest weapons... |
Himself | TV Episode: "Fighting Back" |
| 2009 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop | Drill Instructor | Film |
| 2009 | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony | Himself (voice) | Video Game |
| 2010 | EA MMA | Himself (voice) | Video Game |
| 2010 | Sinners & Saints Sinners & Saints (film) Sinners and Saints is a 2010 action-thriller film directed by and co-written by William Kaufman. It stars Johnny Strong, Kevin Phillips, Costas Mandylor, Sean Patrick Flanery, Bas Rutten, Method Man, Kim Coates and Tom Berenger. The film is set in the dark underbelly of New Orleans... |
Dekker | Film |
| 2011 | Lights Out Lights Out (2011 TV series) Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On... |
Dokaj (MMA fighter) | TV episode: "Bolo Punch" |
| 2011 | Zookeeper Zookeeper (film) Zookeeper is a 2011 comedy film starring Kevin James, and featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte, Don Rickles, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Cher and Faizon Love. The film contains computer animation, is produced by Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, and is... |
Sebastian the Wolf (voice) | Film |
| 2012 | Here Comes the Boom | TBA | Film (post-production) |
Works
- Bas Rutten's Big Book of Combat, Volumes One and Two (2002)
- Bas Rutten's Big DVDs of Combat
- Bas Rutten's Lethal Street Fighting (2003)
- Bas Rutten's MMA Workout (2001)
- Bas Rutten's Superior Free Fight Techniques
- Bas Rutten's "Extreme Pancrase" No-Holds Barred Fighting System
- Training with Bas Rutten "Never Back DownNever Back DownNever Back Down is a 2008 action film starring Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, and Djimon Hounsou. It was theatrically released on March 14, 2008. The film's respective tagline is "Win or lose.....
Special Features" 2008