There are a lot of fight fans that agree it should be a crime to not know who Bas Rutten is. It’s absolutely fair to say that he’s one of the pioneers of MMA and that the sport may not be where it is today without his incredible contributions.
While he only actually competed at two UFC events throughout his career, he’d already become a legend well before he competed for what is arguably the most popular MMA company in the world.
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Despite only making two appearances, he still managed to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. That’s far from his only accolade as he was a three-time King Of Pancrase World Champion as well. Even more shocking, he only ever lost four times throughout his thirty-three impressive bouts.
10 He Finished His Career With A Huge Winning Streak
A big undefeated streak is something that every fighter strives for. Ultimately, if they can make it through their entire careers without a loss, they instantly are remembered as legends in the sport. While Rutten did suffer a few losses in his career, he managed to end it on a massive 22-fight win streak.
He wasn’t just beating nobodies either; he was beating some of the toughest competition of the time. He beat people like Kevin Randleman, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger, and even Minoru Suzuki in some impressive and lengthy matches.
9 He’s The Man That Made The Liver Shot Famous
Anyone who’s had the displeasure of suffering through a liver shot knows how awful they can feel. Unfortunately from anyone who’s taken one, Bas Rutten is the man that is often credited with making the shot relatively popular in use.
The shot is something that can change any top-form fighter into a wounded mess off of one strong hit. It was something that was capable of throwing an opponent off of their rhythm long enough for Rutten to capitalize. He’d often pick up the win or close in on a win before his opponent could recover.
8 He Was Bullied For Eczema As A Child
With how tough of a man Bas Rutten became no one could be blamed for wrongly believing that he was a relatively tough kid. It may surprise people to learn that he was apparently bullied pretty severely for a rather common affliction, that being Eczema.
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The affliction was so bad that Rutten would actually try to cover up as move of his skin as possible. He’d constantly be wearing the longest clothes he could find and even a pair of gloves to keep his eczema hidden from the people around him.
7 He Suffered From Severe Asthma
With how quick Bas Rutten was able to end some of his bouts, it’s entirely possible that his cardio was never much of a worry during his fights. While he seems to have gotten things under control at some point, Rutten suffered from asthma as a child.
While there aren’t a lot of details about how he overcame the struggle, just about all of his fans are glad he did. Some of his single round bouts went over 20 minutes at a time, and that certainly wouldn’t have been possible if his asthma was still a major factor.
6 Bruce Lee Was His Inspiration for MMA
It seems like most MMA superstars have one moment or one person that forever changed their lives. One small instant created their love and drive for MMA. For Bas Rutten, that moment was thanks to seeing a Bruce Lee movie.
It’s been said that he wasn’t actually allowed to see the film due to the age restriction that came along with it, but he snuck in with a friend anyway. His biggest fans are lucky because this introduction to MMA was a pure coincidence that happened while he was on vacation.
5 He Was Banned From Training For A Long Time
There are more than a few MMA fighters who got into some trouble in their youths thanks to some unsafe fighting. Bas Rutten wasn’t any different in that regard, but he, unfortunately, was banned from training by his parents.
Rutten had dealt with plenty of bullies in his life, but once he got some training, he was confident enough to take them on. After a victorious street fight, the police came to his house, something that his parents weren’t exactly happy about. He wouldn’t be able to train again until he moved out.
4 He Was A Strong Kickboxer Before He Made It To MMA
Most MMA fighters tend to participate in other forms of competition before they begin a dedicated fight career. Bas Rutten was actually a pretty skilled kickboxer while he was young, though he did end up losing his final two matches.
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Because of how long ago it was, there isn’t much in-depth information about his time as a kickboxer, but it’s fair to assume he impressed. Winning 14 of his 16 fights while just in his early 20s is incredibly impressive considering he hadn’t been training for years.
3 He Won His Debut By KO In 48 Seconds
A debut match is something that can set the tone for how your time in any promotion may go. Rutten probably saw plenty of respect in Japan in a hurry after he finished his opponent in under a minute during his first official match.
Not only did he finish the match with a series of brutal and impressive strikes, but his opponent was also nearly 50 pounds heavier than he was at the time. The quick knockout and nearly 50-pound disadvantage are more than enough to impress anyone.
2 The Only Man He Never Avenged A Loss To Was Ken Shamrock
Bas Rutten did lose on four separate occasions, but while he managed to avenge his losses to other competitors, he never managed to claim a victory over Ken Shamrock. To be fair, Ken Shamrock was arguably the most dominant man in MMA at the time.
The other people he lost to, Frank Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki, were both losses he avenged only a short time later. After losing to Ken by submission, he tried again a year later, and once again lost via a well-executed submission.
1 He Competed In Professional Wrestling
Many MMA fighters try their hand at professional wrestling at one point or another. Whether or not they’re any good is a different story. Bas Rutten excelled at everything he did and managed to actually challenge for the illustrious IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at one time.
Wrestling fans will recognize names like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, and Koji Kanemoto, all wrestlers that Rutten ended up facing off against at one point. The matches are incredibly hard to come by in any form, but they all had to be incredibly exciting to see.
