Bas Rutten remains a revolutionary figure in mixed martial arts more than seven years since he exited the stage as a competitor, having helped bridged the gap from one generation to the next.
A former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pancrase titleholder, “El Guapo” completed his career with a 28-4-1 record that included 24 finishes. Rutten was best known for his work in Japan, where his combination of violence and flamboyance carried weight with those who appreciate the artistry involved with mixed martial arts. The affable Dutchman fought for the final time in 2006, when he wrecked Ruben Villareal with leg kicks at a World Fighting Alliance event in Los Angeles. However, he has kept himself relevant in the MMA world through various announcing gigs and appearances in feature films like “Here Comes the Boom.”
As Rutten’s accomplishments and exploits continue to fade in the rearview mirror, a look at some of the numbers that accompanied him along his journey:
57: Years of age for Rutten, who was born on Feb. 24, 1965 in Tilburg, Netherlands, roughly 40 miles northeast of Amsterdam.
4:26:48: Of total fight time for Rutten. He went the distance on six different occasions and carries a 4-1-1 record in those bouts. Rutten’s longest match lasted 27:35, resulting in a rear-naked choke submission of Ryushi Yanagisawa at Pancrase “Eyes of Beast 7” in 1995.
14: Rutten victories by submission, accounting for 50% of his career total (28). His methods of choice: three guillotine chokes, three rear-naked chokes, two ankle locks, one arm-triangle choke, one heel hook, one kneebar, one toe hold, one armbar and one neck crank. Rutten owns 10 other victories by knockout or technical knockout (36%) and four more by decision (14%).
2: Sub-minute finishes on the Rutten resume. He put away Ryushi Yanagisawa with palm strikes in 43 seconds at Pancrase “Yes, We Are Hybrid Wrestlers 1” on Sept. 21, 1993 and submitted Manabu Yamada with an ankle lock in 54 seconds at Pancrase Truth 7 on Oct. 8, 1996.
16: Fighters other than Rutten who are enshrined in the Pioneers Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. They are Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Pat Miletich, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Don Frye, Maurice Smith, Kazushi Sakuraba, Matt Serra, Rich Franklin and Kevin Randleman.
1: Stalemate on the Rutten ledger. He fought to a majority draw with Osami Shibuya at Pancrase Alive 3 on March 22, 1997.
5: Rutten wins over UFC champions. He bested Randleman, Smith (twice) and Frank Shamrock (twice).
22: Consecutive appearances without a loss to close out his career. Rutten went a remarkable 21-0-1 between April 8, 1995 and July 22, 2006.
3: Organizations for which Rutten suited up as a mixed martial artist. He went 25-4-1 in Pancrase, 2-0 in the UFC and 1-0 in the World Fighting Alliance.
.684: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Ken Shamrock (twice), Frank Shamrock and Maskatsu Funaki—who defeated Rutten. They sport a combined record of 90-40-6.
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