Bas Rutten
attends the Here Comes The Boom Premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on October 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)" width="640" height="464" /> NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 09: Bas Rutten attends the Here Comes The Boom Premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on October 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)
UFC ANNOUNCES INDUCTION OF MMA LEGEND
BAS RUTTEN TO UFC HALL OF FAME
FORMER UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION TO BE HONORED AS PIONEER AT UFC FAN EXPO ON JULY 11
Las Vegas – Former UFC® heavyweight champion Bas Rutten will take his rightful place alongside other legendary innovators of the sport in the UFC Hall of Fame. Rutten, who also dominated the Japanese Pancrase organization’s championship landscape during his 33 fight career, will join icons including Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Chuck Liddell in the Pioneer Era wing of the new-look UFC Hall of Fame.
The Pioneer Era category recognizes great fighters who turned professional before November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were created and widely adopted. All but one of Rutten’s 33 professional MMA bout were fought in the 1990s, with many of his greatest accomplishments taking place in Pancrase, which used hybrid rules, single-round fights and open-handed striking.
After dominating the competition in Japan, Rutten finally entered the UFC Octagon at UFC 18, on January 8, 1999. Hyped as the greatest MMA fighter in the world, he defeated Tsuyoshi Kohsaka by knockout and returned at UFC 20 four months later to defeat Kevin Randleman to win the vacant UFC heavyweight world title. Rutten was the fourth man to hold the UFC heavyweight championship and third former holder of that belt to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
UFC President Dana White surprised Rutten with the news during an interview on the Inside MMA Show, which Rutten co-hosts. Rutten was concluding an interview previewing tonight’s UFC 187 Pay-Per-View event when White informed the Dutchman that he would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 11.
“We have International Fight Week in Las Vegas in July,” White began. “And on July 11, at the UFC Fan Expo, you will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.”
The footage of the exchange can be view here: https://youtu.be/JiIgQe9y-vQ
“I never expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rutten said afterwards. “I won the UFC heavyweight title, but injuries cut my UFC run short. Most of my big wins were in Japan. I saw the new UFC Hall of Fame format and I thought maybe I could get in eventually as a Contributor because of my years of commentating. But I’m so honored that the UFC recognized what I did as a fighter.”
Asked about the biggest wins of his career, Rutten said: “My pro debut against Ryushi Yanagisawa, he outweighed me by 45lbs but I knocked him out. Then the two wins over Frank Shamrock, winning the Pancrase title from Minoru Suzuki, my two wins in the UFC, of course, meant a lot to me and beating Masakatsu Funaki in the rematch. He was the first person to beat me, he talked a lot of crap, and in the rematch for the title I slaughtered him.”
All those fights available now on UFCFIGHTPASS.com here: http://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-bas-rutten
Born in Tilburg, Netherlands Rutten is the first European to join the UFC Hall of Fame. Now aged 50 and living in Los Angles, California, Rutten originally took up the martial arts as a child to fend off school bullies, who perhaps saw an easy victim in the asthmatic Rutten. Discovering a natural talent for striking, Rutten quickly moved on from school bully-level competition and, by age 20, was an established international kickboxer.
In September1993, he accepted an invitation to compete at the inaugural Pancrase event in Urayasu, Japan. The event – which took place two months before UFC 1 – featured submission wrestling mixed with striking, although no close fist strikes were permitted to the head.
Rutten’s first Pancrase opponent, Japanese kickboxer Ryushi Yanagisawa, spent two days in the hospital after the Dutchman dispatched him with palm-strikes and knees. On that night, the Dutchman’s career-long reputation as a terrifying striker was forged.
He defeated early MMA icons like Vernon White, Guy Mezger and future UFC champions Maurice Smith and Frank Shamrock twice each during this period. In 1995, Rutten won the King of Pancrase title from legend Minoru Suzuki. His finest hour in Japan came at the Pancrase 1996 Anniversary Show where the Dutchman avenged his first pro defeat, knocked out Masakatsu Funaki to win a classic encounter.
In 1999, Rutten signed with the UFC and immediate set his sights on the UFC heavyweight title, eventually beating Randleman on points. His plan was to immediately drop down to light heavyweight and become the first ever two-division UFC champion; however a series of injuries cut short his career.
He returned for a farewell fight – vs unheralded Ruben Villareal – seven years later in a WFA event in July, 2006.
UFCFIGHTPASS.com subscribers can watch Rutten’s greatest fight – including five newly-uploaded Pancrase battles – here: LINKLINKLINKLINKLINK. In time, Rutten’s entire career, from pro debut to retirement match, will be available on FIGHT PASS.
FightMetric, the official statistics provider for the UFC, ran the numbers on Rutten’s career. They back up the Dutchman’s inclusion into the UFC Hall of Fame and then some. 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.
And, incredibly for a fighter who had 15 wins via submission, Rutten never attempted a single takedown in his entire career. Clearly, “El Guapo” had a unique and extremely effective style.
He finished his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak. Rutten’s overall MMA record stands at 28 wins, 4 losses, and one draw.
Rutten joins Contributor Jeff Blatnick and Fight Hughes vs Trigg II in the UFC Hall of Fame’s class of 2015. The final inductee – the Modern Era representative – will be announced tonight during the UFC 187 Prelims on FOX Sports 1.
The UFC Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will take place on July 11 as part of the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. Fans with tickets to the UFC Fan Expo will be able to attend the UFC Hall of Fame 2015 event for no additional cost. Tickets to the UFC Fan Expo are available at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two-day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite. The UFC Hall of Fame ceremony will be streamed live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com.
BJ PENN TO BE INDUCTED TO UFC® HALL OF FAME
Two-time, two-division UFC world champion will be honored in the Modern Era category
Las Vegas – The final 2015 inductee for the reinvigorated UFC® Hall of Fame will be legendary two-time, two-division UFC world champion BJ Penn. Known as “The Prodigy” throughout his amazing 13-year, 16-10-2 professional mixed martial arts career, Penn takes his place in the Modern Era category of the UFC Hall of Fame.
The Modern Era category recognizes great fighters who turned professional on or after November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) were created and widely adopted. Penn turned professional on May 4, 2001, at UFC 31.
The announcement was made moments ago on the UFC 187 Prelims broadcast on FOX Sports 1. Penn’s formal induction will take place at a gala event on Saturday, July 11, at the UFC Fan Expo®, during the UFC’s annual International Fight Week™ in Las Vegas.
UFC President Dana White said: “It is our honor to induct BJ Penn into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was one of those stars who helped build the UFC. When we bought this company, we were told no-one cared about lightweights. BJ Penn not only made people care, he was one of the biggest draws in UFC history. And what he accomplished inside the Octagon speaks for itself – he is one of only two people to win two UFC titles in two different divisions and he beat a who’s who of his era. He is a legend and a no-brainer for the UFC Hall of Fame.”
Born Jay Dee Penn on December 13, 1978, “Baby Jay” is believed to have earned a legitimate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt faster than any practitioner of the martial art. He was awarded the honor by André Pederneiras in 2000, aged 20, less than three years after taking his first lesson. Penn validated his black belt status just weeks later, when he became the first American to ever win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
Because of the speed of Penn’s achievements in BJJ, he was dubbed “The Prodigy” – a moniker which he carried into his MMA – and UFC – debut vs Joey Gilbert at UFC 31 on May 4, 2001.
“Nothing personal, I just want the belt,” Penn said after scoring a first round knockout.
The first UFC championship came at welterweight, when he choked out the previously unstoppable Matt Hughes in the opening round of their UFC 46, January 2004, clash. However, Penn never defended the title, spending the next two years competing outside of the UFC organization.
A truly fearless competitor who’s self-belief knew few boarders, Penn defeated both Renzo Gracie and Rodrigo Gracie in middleweight bouts outside of the UFC; he even took a 225lbs Lyoto Machida the distance in a heavyweight fight.
Whether inside or outside the Octagon®, Penn fought the best of the best and his scalp list includes luminaries like Caol Uno, Matt Serra and Takanori Gomi.
But it was his achievements in the UFC lightweight classes that Penn cemented his legacy as one of the very best of all time.
Upon returning to the division in 2007, Penn embarked on a three year reign of terror. He swiftly avenged his first career loss to Jens Pulver before winning the vacant 155lbs title with a one-sided beatdown of Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. In winning the title, Penn became only the second man to hold two UFC titles in two weight divisions. He then defended the belt against former champion Sean Sherk, and surging contenders Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez in impressive fashion before finally losing the title to Frankie Edgar in 2010.
Along the way Penn also attempted to win back the UFC welterweight title, in a rematch of a very close and controversial fight vs Georges St-Pierre. The UFC 94, January 2009, main event was a rare UFC champion vs UFC champion superfight and one of the biggest fights of the decade.
Penn’s final win came in November 2010, at UFC 123, when he knocked out his great rival turned friend Matt Hughes in 21-seconds, winning their trilogy 2-1. Penn last competed one year ago, losing a somber fight against nemesis Frankie Edgar at International Fight Week 2014.
Now, 12 months later, Penn will be given the send-off his legendary career deserves.
What made Penn a perpetual pound-for-pounder was his unique combination of high-level BJJ, takedown defense, remarkable balance plus his supreme boxing skills. Even the most experience fight commentators marveled at the Hawaiian’s skill set; UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan once opinioned that Penn had more flexibility and dexterity in his legs than most good fighters had in their arms and, in 2008, famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach said Penn was the best boxer in MMA “by far.”
According to FightMetric, the official statistics provider to the UFC, Penn spent a total of 5-hours, 18-minues and 7-seconds in the UFC Octagon, the second most of any UFC fighter. He landed 1,736 strikes in the UFC, the fourth most in organization history, with 1215 of them setting a lightweight division record. He landed with over half of his power shots and his takedown completion rate of 66.7% remains the most accurate in the UFC lightweight division.
Penn joins Pioneer Era inductee Bas Rutten, Fight inductee Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II and Contributor Jeff Blatnick to complete to 2015 UFC Hall of Fame class.
The UFC Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will take place on July 11 as part of the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. Fans with tickets to the UFC Fan Expo will be able to attend the UFC Hall of Fame 2015 event for no additional cost. Tickets to the UFC Fan Expo are available at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two-day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite.
To visit the UFC Hall of Fame fight library – which includes the induction speeches for the first 12 UFC Hall of Famers – go to www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-library.
For additional information please visit UFC.com, and follow UFC on Twitter @ufc.
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