Sherdog’s Top 10: Strongest Kickers

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3. Bas Rutten

Venture into the fabulous past of Pancrase and you will find the early renditions of what we now consider MMA. Rutten was there from the beginning, carefully carving out a legacy by utilizing new methods of striking, namely devastating kicks.

Bred out of muay Thai, taekwondo and karate, “El Guapo” had a wide array of methods with which to hurt opponents, using shots to the legs, head and body. However, he remains famous for working over his fellow competitors with dreaded blows that pinpointed the liver. Rutten never was able to wrestle successfully, but he did develop a strong defensive strategy, often push kicking his opponent and making sure he could not settle into a comfortable stance. He also used the kicks well in collaboration with punches to keep his foes guessing.

During some of his early Pancrase fights, the methods were in full effect. His scrap against Jason DeLucia at Pancrase 6 comes to mind, but so does his retirement fight against Ruben Villareal in 2006.

Number 2 » Jose Aldo