Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: The Shoo-Ins
Bas Rutten
Bas
Rutten closed his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak. | Photo: J.
Sherwood/Sherdog.com
“El Guapo”
When Pancrase brought a Dutch kickboxer to its first event, it was not supposed to lead to big things. The Pancrase fighters were training hard on catch wrestling in the dojo, and one-dimensional strikers were not thought to present a lot of danger to their techniques. However, Rutten was a different breed. A highly intelligent and charismatic figure, “El Guapo” discovered quickly where the sport was going and took to cross training. He built a ground game from scratch to go with excellent striking and soon became dominant. After starting his career 7-4 while learning the game, he never lost again. It is a shame his body gave out, because Rutten would have been one of the sport’s top attractions as it exploded in popularity.
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