He then began learning Kyokushin karate and earned a 2nd-degree black belt. He was committed, eventually earning a 2nd degree black belt. The police came to his parents' house and Rutten was immediately prohibited by his parents from further practicing martial arts.Īt age 21, he moved out of his parents' house and once again started training taekwondo. Rutten, now more confident, took the challenge and broke the bully's nose and KO'd him with the first punch he threw.

He picked it up very quickly and after a few months he got in a street fight with the biggest bully in town. At first, his conservative parents did not allow him to pursue his interest but at age 14, after two years of begging his parents, they allowed him to practice taekwondo. After he saw the movie, he took an interest in martial arts. Bas could not get in because the movie was rated 17+, so he and his brother Sjoerd sneaked into the theatre. Rutten became interested in martial arts at age 12 after his family went on vacation to France, where the movie Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee was playing at a local movie theatre. He was bullied on a daily basis as a child.īas started training in boxing in the backyard of an elementary school with a friend. Bas's eczema meant he always wore long sleeves, turtle necks and gloves, and his asthma meant he was unable to partake in exercise, and was consequently relatively skinny. At the age of 6 he developed eczema and severe asthma.

He also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials. He has worked as a color commentator in several MMA organizations, including Pride, and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. Rutten is known for his charisma and has capitalized on his celebrity status since retiring from fighting in 1999. Rutten became a naturalized American citizen receiving citizenship in the late 1990s.Īs a professional fighter, one of his favorite tactics was the liver shot (both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA. In the 4-hours, 27-minutes and 8-seconds he spent as a pro fighter, Rutten scored 13 knockdowns without getting dropped himself, his significant strike accuracy was 70.6%, the highest FightMetric has ever recorded, attempted a record 53 submissions and successfully swept his opponents a record 46 times.' From 2007 to 2016, Rutten was the co-host of Inside MMA on AXS TV. They back up the Dutchman's inclusion into the UFC Hall of Fame and then some. FightMetric wrote this when Rutten got inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame: ' ran the numbers on Rutten's career.

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). Sebastian ' Bas' Rutten ( Dutch pronunciation: born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch–American actor, retired mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler.

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