Sebastiaan Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch and American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. As a kickboxer, he fought 16 times, winning the first 14 matches by knockout, 13 in the first round, and losing his final two fights, one of them against Frank Lobman for the European Muay Thai title in 1991, with Rutten losing by knockout in the first round. In MMA, he was a UFC Heavyweight Champion and a three-time King of Pancrase world champion. After his submission loss to Ken Shamrock in 1995, he finished his MMA career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak (21 wins, 1 draw).
As a professional fighter, one of his most commonly used strikes was the liver shot (both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA. He competed in Japanese professional wrestling following his Pancrase tenure. Since his retirement, he has worked as a color commentator in several martial arts organizations, including Pride and Karate Combat (KC), and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. From 2007 to 2016, he was the co-host of Inside MMA on AXS TV. Rutten also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials.
In 2008, Rutten was ranked by Inside MMA as the fourth-greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time.
Early life
Rutten was born in Tilburg, Netherlands. At the age of six, he developed eczema and severe asthma. Due to his eczema, he always wore long sleeves, turtle necks and gloves, as well as bandages at night. Due to his asthma, he struggled with prolonged physical activity. He was often bullied as a child, although he hid it from his parents. He learned to climb trees and jump between treetops to evade his bullies, who eventually stopped chasing him when one of them fell while trying to follow him. Afterwards, Rutten built a makeshift nunchaku to emulate Lee. He also started training taekwondo once again, leading to him later earning a 2nd-degree black belt. He also began learning Kyokushin karate and earned his second 2nd-degree black belt.
Kickboxing career
Rutten started competing in kickboxing at the age of 20 while working also as a bouncer and model. He fought 16 times, winning the first 14 matches by knockout, 13 in the first round, and losing his final two fights. According to Rutten, he signed up for the match while under the influence and without any kind of earlier preparation, but fought anyway. After the match, Rutten ended his kickboxing career. A precursor to modern mixed martial arts, the organization was the first of its kind and featured fighting with no closed fisted strikes to the face, and featured now-known fighters such as Frank Shamrock, Vernon White, Maurice Smith, Ken Shamrock, and Guy Mezger.
Pancrase
1993
In September 1993, Rutten debuted in Pancrase against the 45lb heavier Ryushi Yanagisawa, knocking him out with palm strikes and knee strikes 48 seconds into the bout. Due to injuries sustained during the match, Yanagisawa was hospitalized for two days.
1995
In his next match, Rutten submitted King of Pancrase tournament finalist Manabu Yamada on 26 January 1995 with an arm triangle choke from half guard. Rutten later was booked for a rematch and a title shot against tournament winner and then-current King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock for the King of Pancrase title on 10 March, in which Rutten was submitted via a kneebar.
As a result of the match, Rutten started training 2 to 3 times a day solely on submissions.
His next fight was a rematch with Manabu Yamada, in which Rutten earned a toehold submission victory 54 seconds into the bout. Following the match, Rutten relinquished his title to be present for the birth of his second daughter.
In 1997, Rutten was featured on the cover of Karaté Bushido, the oldest magazine dedicated to martial arts in Europe, joining martial artists such as Bruce Lee (1974), Jean-Claude Van Damme (1993), Rickson Gracie (1998), Jackie Chan (2000), Fedor Emelianenko (2007), Georges St-Pierre (2008), Jérôme Le Banner (2012), Francis Ngannou (2019), and Dave Leduc (2020).
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Heavyweight Champion
Rutten originally learned about the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) before its first event in 1993, when future UFC competitor Ken Shamrock proposed fighting in the organization to him, but Rutten decided to stay in Pancrase, as he felt the "no rules" format was too dangerous and he did not want to risk his career. Despite this, Rutten later signed with the UFC in 1998, after his Pancrase career. Rutten entered the UFC with a 19 fight unbeaten streak and was touted by the organization as the "world's greatest martial artist."
Rutten was originally scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Randy Couture in a title match for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first fight, but due to a contract dispute, Couture left the UFC to sign with a different promotion. The title was then stripped from Couture and a tournament was held for the vacant belt. In his UFC debut, Rutten faced Fighting Network RINGS fighter Tsuyoshi Kosaka at UFC 18. Rutten earned a knockout victory with a minute remaining in the fight's overtime period. This victory was deemed controversial by fans and fighters, such as Randleman's corner and Mark Coleman, who criticized the judges' decision.
UFC Hall of Fame
On 22 May 2015, UFC President Dana White appeared on Inside MMA to announce that Rutten would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame during International Fight Week in July. Rutten is the first European to be inducted, entering the "Pioneers" wing of the UFC's new-look Hall of Fame.
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've got to say thanks to him, (Bas) for helping me out by making me believe in dreams."
Last fight
In May 2006, Rutten announced he was cleared by doctors and would make his return to MMA competition. Rutten was slated to face Kimo Leopoldo in the now-defunct World Fighting Alliance on 22 July 2006, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Two days before the event, Kimo tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. In place of Kimo, Rutten fought Ruben "Warpath" Villareal. Rutten earned a first round TKO victory via leg kicks, bringing his professional record to 28 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. After the fight, Rutten tested positive for hydrocodone, morphine, and diphenhydramine.
Professional wrestling career
Rutten competed in Japanese professional wrestling following his Pancrase tenure. He made his debut at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2000 event, where he teamed up with Alexander Otsuka to defeat the team of Naoki Sano and Ricco Rodríguez, with Rutten submitting Sano with a crossface chickenwing. He also wrestled in Battlarts, defeating Carl Malenko by KO via palm strike.
In 2002, Rutten debuted in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a part of Antonio Inoki's MMA army. Before his first match, he was featured in vignettes learning the shining wizard from watching Keiji Mutoh tapes in order to adapt to NJPW professional wrestling. He mostly wrestled in singles matches, earning wins over Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Masayuki Naruse. In July of 2002, he challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Yuji Nagata, but he was defeated. After three months, in October, he was featured in a special European Catch Wrestling Rules Match against Osamu Nishimura with Tony St. Clair as a special referee. The match went to a time limit draw after ten rounds, despite Nishimura's illegal blows. The same month, Rutten dropped down to the junior heavyweight division and received another title match, this time against Koji Kanemoto for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, in which he lost the bout. His last professional match was on October 26, 2002 when he lost to Koji Kanemoto.
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 Law, 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 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 commutes to Japan and being away from his family.
thumb|Rutten in 2011
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 23 January 2008, he was announced as the new Vice President of 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 ended when IFL went out of business in late 2008.
In 2009, he appeared in the music video for Listen to Your Friends by the rock band New Found Glory, "fighting" lead vocalist Jordan Pundik. Bas and Rice hosted Inside MMA, a weekly MMA variety show on AXS TV. 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 attended the events live in Japan. He would also appear in several public health service ads, airing on Cartoon Network as part of the network's "Get Healthy" campaign. He also made a public service announcement against trying out MMA at home.
Rutten was featured in the 2012 American sports comedy movie Here Comes the Boom alongside Kevin James and Henry Winkler. Rutten played the role of a former MMA fighter and Dutch immigrant Niko trying to gain US citizenship. In return for his help in gaining citizenship, Niko helps train 42-year-old biology teacher Scott (Kevin James) to become a MMA fighter in the UFC. The film also features former UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski, former Muay Thai kickboxer Mark DellaGrotte along with cameo roles for Bruce Buffer, Chael Sonnen, Jason Miller, Satoshi Ishii, Mark Muñoz, Herb Dean, Wanderlei Silva, and Joe Rogan amongst others.
On 23 October 2013, the World Series of Fighting announced Rutten as a member of the broadcast team for WSOF events on NBCSN along with Todd Harris.
Rutten currently works as a commentator for Karate Combat (KC).
Coaching
Rutten is certified as an instructor of both MTBN Thai Boxing and mixed martial arts, as well as krav maga. and is now a part owner of the MMA gym Bas Rutten's Elite Mixed Martial Arts in Thousand Oaks, California. He teaches a MMA class on Tuesdays.
He has also trained former street fighter Kimbo Slice for his professional MMA bouts, as well as professional wrestler Samoa Joe.
Fighting style
Rutten's main reason for success in Pancrase was his well-rounded fighting style, excelling both in striking and grappling. His stand-up offensive, learned from the Dutch school of Muay Thai, Karate and Taekwondo was aggressive yet deceptively technical. According to Frank Shamrock, it often intimidated other fighters. According to Shamrock, "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."
One of his commonly used tactics in the ring was using push kicks against the ring ropes before using palm strikes and strikes to the body.
Personal life
Rutten currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Karin and two daughters. Rutten also has a daughter from his first wife. He became a citizen of the United States in the 1990s. At the end of 2015, he became a grandfather for the first time: a grandson, who currently lives in Belgium.
Rutten is friends with fellow Dutchman and former UFC competitor Gerard Gordeau.
In 2010, Rutten partnered with clothing brand, Tokyo Five, to produce and star in a cooking show titled Grandma's Kitchen with Bas Rutten. The show's pilot was scheduled to air 26 February 2010; however, due to a physical altercation between Rutten and co-hosts, production has been delayed indefinitely.
In 2018, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Religious beliefs
Rutten is a practicing Catholic, talking about his faith in God on YouTube. Raised in a Catholic family, Rutten stopped practicing the faith at around 12 years old when his parents stopped attending church, but he returned to the faith in 2013. He has credited his friend Kevin James, and others, with helping him in his journey back to Catholicism.
Tattoos
Rutten has several tattoos, each of which is intended to help him spiritually and emotionally.
Street fights
Rutten is known for his brawls and bar fights around the world. In particular, in 1996 he once threw Paul Varelans through a glass window in Ukraine via a kimura lock when Varelans tried to bite his back, and immediately after he disarmed and assaulted an armed bouncer.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (Pioneer wing, Class of 2015)
- UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- First Dutch champion in UFC history
- UFC Encyclopedia Awards
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- Undefeated in the UFC (2–0)
- Pancrase
- King of Pancrase Openweight Championship (One time)
- Two successful title defenses
- Unified the King of Pancrase Openweight Championship
- Sherdog
- Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame (2014 inductee)
- Fight Matrix
- 1996 Fighter of the Year
- International Sports Hall of Fame
- Class of 2018
Mixed martial arts record
|-
| Win
| align=center|
| 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
|
|-
| 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 (palm strikes)
| 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 (body crunch)
| 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 (points)
| Pancrase: Alive 4
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 15:00
| Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
|
|-
| Draw
| align=center| 20–4–1
| Osami Shibuya
| Draw (majority)
| Pancrase: Alive 3
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 15:00
| Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 20–4
| Manabu Yamada
| Submission (ankle lock)
| Pancrase: Truth 7
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 0:54
| Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 19–4
| Masakatsu Funaki
| KO (knee)
| Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 17:05
| Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 18–4
| Jason DeLucia
| KO (Punch to the body)
| Pancrase: Truth 6
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 8:48
| Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 17–4
| Frank Shamrock
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| Pancrase: Truth 5
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 11:11
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 16–4
| Katsuomi Inagaki
| TKO (points)
| Pancrase: Truth 4
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 14:07
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 15–4
| Guy Mezger
| Submission (ankle lock)
| 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
|
|-
| 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 (heel hook)
| 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
|
|-
| 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)
| 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 body)
| Pancrase: Road to the Championship 2
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 3:43
| Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 4–1
| Kazuo Takahashi
| TKO (knee injury)
| 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
|
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2001 || Shadow Fury || Kismet ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002 || The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr || rowspan="2" | Himself || rowspan="2" | Documentary
|-
| Modern Warriors
|-
| 2004 || The Eliminator || Dakota Varley ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005 || The Vault || General Matos ||
|-
| The Kingdom of Ultimate Power || Vlad Rifka || Short
|-
| 2006 || Backlash || Grazer ||
|-
| 2009 || Paul Blart: Mall Cop || Drill Instructor ||
|-
| 2010 || Sinners & Saints || Dekker ||
|-
| 2011 || Zookeeper || Sebastian the Wolf (voice) ||
|-
| 2012 || Here Comes the Boom || Niko
|
|-
| 2014 || Mercy Rule || Coach ||
|-
| 2015 || Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 || Henk
|
|-
| 2016 || The River Thief || Clyde ||
|-
| 2025 || The Smashing Machine || Himself ||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1999 || Martial Law || Roman Van Reit || Episode: "Nitro Man"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000 || Freedom || The Bad Guy || Episode: "Lonewolf"
|-
| The King of Queens || Emil || Episode: "Party Favors"
|-
| 2002 || NJPW Samurai TV
|Himself||
|-
| 2005 || The King of Queens || Niles || Episode: "Deconstructing Carrie"
|-
| 2006 || International Fight League || Himself (announcer) ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007 || Fight Science || rowspan="2" | Himself || rowspan="2" | Documentary series
|-
| The Modern Warrior
|-
| 2008 || Fight Science || Himself || Episode: "Fighting Back"
|-
| 2011 || Lights Out || Dokaj || Episode: "Bolo Punch"
|-
| 2012 || Punk Payback || rowspan="2" | Himself ||
|-
| 2012 || Myrskyn Ratsastajat || Documentary
|-
| 2015 || Liv and Maddie || Uncle Martucci || Episode: "Ask Her More-A-Rooney"
|-
| 2017–18 || Kevin Can Wait || Rutger/Rootger Van De Kamp || Recurring role
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1997 || WCW vs. the World || Thunder Dome ||
|-
| 2008 || Grand Theft Auto IV || Himself (voice) / Niko Bellic (motion capture fight double) ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony || rowspan="4" | Himself (voice) ||
|-
| Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned
|
|-
| 2010 || EA MMA
|
|-
| 2012 || UFC Undisputed 3 ||
|-
| 2016 || EA Sports UFC 2 || Himself (playable character) ||
|}
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 Down Special Features" 2008
- TERA Online"MMO-FO.com Spokesman" 2012