Legends of the Cage: Bas Rutten
30 Jun 2010 04:19
By Ben Cartlidge
To be described as the funniest man in MMA somehow doesn’t seem to sit right. It seems to be on a par with most honest politician as far as unlikely accolades go. In the most physical of combat sports there would appear to be little time for a comedian. Bas Rutten may have been a joker outside the ring, but he was a killer inside it. A UFC champion and multiple time King of Pancrase, Rutten’s achievements and influence in the evolution of the sport can never be underestimated.
Sebastiaan “Bas” Rutten was born in Tilberg, a small city in the Netherlands, on February 24th 1965. He showed a lot of interest in sport growing up but it wasn’t until he sneaked into a cinema to watch Enter the Dragon that his love affair with martial arts began. Rutten was allowed to train Taekwondo originally by his parents but this soon stopped following a confrontation in the street where Bas would break another boy’s nose. He would manage to convince them to allow him to conti...
My favorite article yet Cartlidge! I have seen many Bas fights and videos. A particular favorite is one where he comments on his own fight and picks out the shots to the liver- 'OK so now I'm angry so I'm going to break his liver'. Also the self defence videos- 'Kick to the groin!'.
I wonder how many people, especially fighters, have been inspired by Enter the Dragon...
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