A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead. It can be a risky but very effective maneuver: a misplaced headbutt can cause greater injury to the person delivering the headbutt than to the person receiving it.

Etymology[link]

From French botter = "to kick". Rams are well known for butting with their heads and horns. From this the terms battering ram and hydraulic ram are derived. Many males in various animal species employ butting during courtship.

In the UK, a headbutt is sometimes referred to as a Glasgow kiss. This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the city of Glasgow's violent reputation.^[1]

Mechanics[link]

Headbutts can be used from close range such as from the clinch, or on the ground. They are typically applied to the head of the opponent, since the head is often a readily available target and has several sensitive areas. An effective headbutt can be performed with a forward, rising, sideways or backwards motion; each being effective from different positions.

Parts of the cranium with thick bone and high local curvature make for good weapon areas, and these include the forehead near the hairline, the outboard curved part of the parietal bone, and the occiput. Ideal targets are usually the fragile areas of the head, including the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones, the hinge area of the jaw, the temple, and the top edge of the eye socket.

Hitting the opponent's teeth or mouth is likely to cause mutual damage. The chin of the enemy is also a generally bad position to headbutt unless striking from below up into the bottom of the chin, similar to an uppercut.

Contact sports[link]

Headbutts are generally forbidden in most contact sports. However, it is a strike allowed in professional wrestling, Lethwei and Muay Boran bouts and Vale tudo fights. It is also the primary focus of Eritrean martial art Testa.

Association football[link]

Headbutting is considered illegal in association football and is punishable by a red card.

In April 1994, Scottish forward Duncan Ferguson, then of Rangers, received a three-month prison sentence (for its being his fourth conviction of assault) after headbutting John McStay during a Scottish Premier Division match between the Glasgow club and Raith Rovers at Ibrox Stadium.

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Ariel Ortega headbutted Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar in the Argentina vs. Netherlands quarterfinal match and was sent off.

In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Rafael Márquez headbutted Cobi Jones in the Round of 16 match between USA and Mexico.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Mark van Bommel was headbutted, this time by Luís Figo in the Portugal vs. Netherlands round of 16 match, but Figo received only a yellow card for his offense. In the final match against Italy, Frenchman Zinedine Zidane headbutted the Italian Marco Materazzi in the chest, for which he received a red card and a subsequent three match ban (although the red card meant Zidane could play no further part in the match, the three-match ban had no effect since he had previously announced his intention to retire after the 2006 World Cup).

In the 2010 African Cup of Nations referee Coffi Codjia was suspended indefinitely by the Confederation of African Football after failing to award a red card to Algerian goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi, who headbutted him during an argument.^[2]

Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o playing for Inter Milano headbutted Bostjan Cesar from Chievo Verona on Nov 21, 2010. ^[3]

References[link]

• Moffatt, Gerald. Headbutts or How to be a Nutter. stickgrappler.tripod.com. URL last accessed February 2, 2006.
• WonderHowTo How to Headbutt like Kiefer Sutherland

External links[link]

Look up headbutt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Self Defense: The Standard Headbutt

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (March 2011)

Jay Kay
Jay Kay at the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally
Background information
Born	(1969-12-30) 30 December 1969 (age 42)
Origin	Stretford, Lancashire, England
Genres	Acid jazz, funk, disco, blue-eyed soul, electronica
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1989–present
Associated acts	Jamiroquai

Jason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham^[1] (born 30 December 1969 in Stretford, Lancashire),^[2] is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai.

Career[link]

Born in Stretford, Greater Manchester, England, Kay formed Jamiroquai with members Toby Smith (keyboards), Stuart Zender (bass), Nick Van Gelder (drums) and Wallis Buchanan (didgeridoo) together with guest appearances by Gavin Dodds (guitar), Maurizio Ravelico (percussion) and Johnny Thirkell (horns) amongst others, both on the band's debut album and on their first tour.

Jamiroquai has sold over thirty million albums, and has spent a collective 162 weeks on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 2006 with Kay's personal wealth said to be around £40 million.^[3] He appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List 2004 at joint-950th. The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 has him tied for #1,794, with £40 million.

After the huge success of Jamiroquai's first single, When You Gonna Learn, a US$1.9 million, eight album deal was signed with Sony Music Entertainment. The band's first album was Emergency on Planet Earth. The relationship with Sony ended in 2007.^[4]

The band's third album, Travelling Without Moving, generated international attention with the ground breaking video of Virtual Insanity which earned Jamiroquai four MTV Video Music Awards. Since then, their fourth album, Synkronized, has done just as well; it was recorded in Kay's home studio located in the garden of his 500-year-old, 11-bedroom Buckinghamshire mansion.

Kay has previously stated that he would like his band to continue writing music for another 15–20 years. However it was reported in February 2007 that Kay had wanted to quit music.^[4] This was denied on Jamiroquai's official website the day after.

Headgear[link]

Kay wearing a headdress during a concert

Kay is well known for his array of elaborate hats and headgear. When appearing professionally (in concerts, interviews etc.) he has been referred to as "the mad hatter" for his love of headgear.^[5] It is said that he has over 50 different hats that he wears at concerts and in public.^[6] He has stated publicly that some of them were made by his own mother.^{[citation needed]}

Kay's most recognizable headgear is his mirrored "feather headdress" seen on the cover of High Times: Singles 1992–2006.

TV performances[link]

Kay appeared in an episode of the BBC series The Naked Chef alongside chef Jamie Oliver. He has also performed on the series Strictly Come Dancing singing Canned Heat. He also appeared three times in the BBC car show Top Gear. The first appearance was in Series 1 episode 2, where he set a lap time of 1:48.1 for the show's "Star in a reasonably priced car", becoming the leading highscorer for the rest of the current and most of the next series. His second appearance was in Series 3 episode 4, where he drove his Lamborghini Miura with Richard Hammond as passenger. The third appearance was in Series 11 episode 6, where he came in to beat the top time held by Simon Cowell. He succeeded with a lap time of 1:45.8.

The day before Jamiroquai performed their new single, White Knuckle Ride, on The X Factor on 31 October 2010, Kay was quoted by The Sun as saying of the show's judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue: "What are they going to tell me about fucking music? ... When have you ever done anything? You're useless. The pair of you. I mean you look great and I'd like to fucking shag you but that's all." During his performance on the show, the pair talked continuously and refused to applaud at the end. Notably, neither of the other two judges stood up either.^[7]

Paparazzi confrontations[link]

In 2001, Kay was charged with assaulting a photographer and damaging his camera outside a nightclub. Kay pleaded not guilty and the charges were later dropped.^[8] On 12 September 2006, Kay was cautioned by police over an incident outside a London nightclub. He allegedly assaulted two photographers.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Kay's mother Karen Kay^[2] is a former cabaret singer and television personality. After Kay's identical twin, David, died some weeks after they were born[1], Karen brought Kay up largely alone, which gave him "an itinerant childhood, half of it living in 'rural Suffolk and rural Devon’", according to his 2010 The Daily Telegraph interview [2] and his 1999/1994 television interviews [3]. It's stated in the 1997 Lancashire Evening Telegraph article that Kay "moved with his mother and step-father Mervyn Kay to Manchester as a youngster."[4] James Royal, often misidentified as Kay's stepfather, is Karen Kay's former manager whom she had a relationship with some time during Kay's childhood years. Royal had stated in his 2002 interview in News of the World about 13-year-old Kay's six-month stay in Thailand that he never married Karen Kay, but "still regards" Kay as his "stepson".[5]

Jay Kay is Jewish and attended Jews' Free School in London.^[10]

Kay reveals in his 2010 The Sunday Times interview that his biological father is Portuguese.^[11] Kay met his biological father Luís Saraiva, a former professional guitarist, in 2001 when Kay was 32 years old. On 26 May in 2006, Saraiva appeared in a two-minute backstage interview with an interviewer from Portuguese television station RTP1 at the 2006 Rock in Rio concert where Jamiroquai made its appearance. The interviewer erroneously referred to Luís Saraiva as Luís Silveira during the interview.

From 1998 to 2001, Kay dated Denise Van Outen. They were engaged and reported to be on the verge of marriage,^[12] but split up in 2001; Jamiroquai's album A Funk Odyssey is mostly about their breakup.

In a 2010 interview, Kay indicated that at one time he had a "substantial" cocaine habit. He has however been free of drugs since 2003.^[13]

Kay continues to support the Burma Campaign UK and the need for democracy in Burma. He is also a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of animals in circuses, zoos and exotic pet trade. He has spoken out against animal exploitation for entertainment.^[14]

Cars and vehicles[link]

Kay has a strong interest in exotic cars and owns over 65 luxury cars, mainly sports cars. His love of motors was expressed with the release of the album Travelling Without Moving. The album's cover featured an adaptation of the "Buffalo Man" logo and the Ferrari crest, which probably earned him his recent visit to Maranello and a close look at the new Ferrari 458 Spider.^[15] Three of his cars appeared in the video for the song Cosmic Girl. In total he has 68 vehicles including what he calls "staff cars" and a 'one off' Ferrari.^[16]

A combination of cars and music is evident in the song Black Devil Car on the album Dynamite which is a tribute to his black Ferrari Enzo. The Enzo suffered damage to the windows after an altercation with hotel chef Aaron Billington at the Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.^[17]

In occasion of his 39th birthday, he admitted he has become a Porsche fan. In the last years he has bought a black 356 Speedster, a blue 911 Carrera RS, and a 911 GT3 RS in orange livery. A 1973 Porsche Carrera RS has been used in the clip of "White Knuckle Ride", one of the last singles of the band, included in their last album.

Kay's love of fast cars has occasionally landed him in legal trouble. In May 1998, Kay was caught driving at 111 mph (179 km/h) and his licence was suspended for 42 days. He said in an interview: "I should count myself lucky. I've clocked up 175 mph on a public road. If I'd been caught doing that, it would have been a prison sentence." He appeared in court in Scotland to face charges for speeding after being clocked at 105 mph (169 km/h) in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, on 26 February 2004. The speed limit for the road was 70 mph (110 km/h). He was later banned from driving for six months.

Kay participated in the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally as part of Team Adidas in a brand new Maserati Quattroporte. In 2010 he took part in the Mille Miglia in his Maserati A6G/54.

He holds the record on the BBC show Top Gear for the fastest lap in the (now retired) Chevrolet Lacetti on the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment. His time of 1:45.83 was four-hundredths of a second ahead of Kevin McCloud, one-tenth of a second ahead of Brian Johnson, lead singer of the rock band AC/DC, and one tenth of a second above then-leader, Simon Cowell. He was invited back as Cowell had been "on the top for long enough".

Kay also likes motorcycles and was at the Ace Cafe to see Charley Boorman off for his television series By Any Means. He rides a Rizla Suzuki GSXR-600. He owns a motorhome, and holds a C LGV (class 2) driving licence just to drive it. He persuaded his close friend James Martin to also purchase one. Kay also leases a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration G-JKAY.

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References[link]

Brian Cushing

Cushing in 2010.
No. 56     Houston Texans
Inside linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-01-24)January 24, 1987
Place of birth: Park Ridge, New Jersey
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
College: Southern California
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15
Debuted in 2009 for the Houston Texans
Career history
Houston Texans (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
College awards and honors Professional awards and honors AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2009) PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year (2009) 1× Pro Bowl selection (2009) 2× All-Pro selection (2009, 2011) SN, PFWA's All-Rookie Selection (2009) Houston Texan's Team MVP (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Tackles 323 Sacks 9.5 INTs 6 Fumbles Forced 5 Stats at NFL.com

Brian Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is a professional American football inside linebacker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Cushing was selected in the 1st round (15th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Texans. He played college football at the University of Southern California.

Early years[link]

Cushing is one of three children of Irish/Polish descent. His mother was born in Germany and his father was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. His brother Michael was a rugby player at Providence College, who earned 1st Team All American Honors. Cushing trained throughout his childhood in Park Ridge, New Jersey. Cushing attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey and went on to lead the Crusaders to the 2004 Group IV State Championship as a linebacker, tight end, and running back against Don Bosco Preparatory High School, providing huge plays in the 13-10 win.^[1] He was named "2004 North Jersey Player of the Year" by The Record (Bergen County).^[2] and played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl alongside future USC teammates Patrick Turner, Rey Maualuga and Mark Sanchez.^{[citation needed]}

Cushing was recruited by top colleges such as the University of Florida, University of Virginia, Notre Dame, and Boston College, before ultimately committing to the University of Southern California. Cushing was a four year starter who also started in four Rose Bowls. Only two players have ever done this; Archie Griffin (two time Heisman Trophy winner) from Ohio State University was the other.^{[citation needed]}

College career[link]

Cushing celebrating a 2006 victory over Stanford; during the season he played the "Elephant" position in the 4-3 under defense used that year.

Cushing attended USC and played for the Trojan football team (2005-2008 seasons) under head coach Pete Carroll and Linebacker Coach Ken Norton Jr. Cushing shared the #10 jersey with Trojan starting quarterback John David Booty from 2005 to 2007.

Cushing was on the 2007 preseason Phil Steele's All-America team and on the 2007 Bednarik Award and Lott Trophy watch lists.

Cushing returned a failed onside kick attempted by Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a late fourth-quarter touchdown on November 25, 2006.

On January 1, 2007, Cushing was named the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game, after recording 2½ sacks and forcing a third-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of the game.^[3]

Cushing was named AP 2nd Team All-American as a senior despite having pedestrian statistics (73 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, & 3 sacks.). NFL scouts didn't admire Cushing for his stats, but for his versatility. Fast enough to play inside and outside linebacker and big and strong enough to play defensive end. Cushing was the most versatile defensive player in the draft. He also shocked NFL scouts by benching 225 lbs 30 times.

Cushing was one of twelve senior USC players, including the four senior linebackers Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews III and Rey Maualuga, invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine.^[4] He also participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl with Maualuga, Matthews, Patrick Turner and others. Alongside fellow USC linebackers Maualuga and Matthews, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2009 NFL Draft Preview magazine, as all three were regarded as potential first round selections.^[5]

College awards and honors[link]

• 2005 Scout.com Freshman All American All-American^[6]
• 2006 All-Pac-10 Second-team^[7]
• 2007 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention^[8]
• 2007 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP^[9]
• 2008 All-Pac-10 First-team selection by the conference's head coaches^[10] and Rivals.com^[11]
• 2008 Rivals.com First-team All-American^[12]
• 2008 SI.com First-team All-American^[13]
• 2008 AP.com First-team All-American^[14]

Professional career[link]

2009 NFL Draft[link]

Houston Texans[link]

Cushing was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans and had one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history.

He scored his first career points on October 4, 2009 when he recorded a safety against the Oakland Raiders. The safety was the first recorded by a Texan since the 2002 season.^[15]

Cushing was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2009 NFL Season. Cushing became the first rookie to earn the award in the season.^[16] In Week 8, Cushing was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week again, becoming the first Texans rookie to win the award twice in one season.^[17] Cushing was also named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November.^[18]

Cushing finished tied with Ray Lewis for the AFC lead with 133 tackles & added 4 sacks, 10 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, & 2 forced fumbled. He was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a starter. Cushing was one of three rookies to make it to the Pro Bowl,^[19] another being a former USC teammate.

On January 5, 2010, Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cushing is the second Texan to win the award, the first being DeMeco Ryans in 2006.^[20]

On May 7, 2010, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Cushing would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for a positive test in September 2009 violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy for having above normal levels of hCG, a hormone, in his system. Cushing had previously denied rumors of his using performance-enhancing substances prior to being drafted. Cushing still denies that he ever ingested or injected any performance enhancers and claimed the test result could have been from a cancerous tumor. Cushing then stated that he would undergo further medical tests to determine how hCg entered his system.^[21]

On May 12, 2010, in a revote of the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award after his suspension was made public, Cushing received the most votes again, retaining his award. His second team All-Pro status from his rookie season, however, was rescinded by the AP. Cushing is the 1st player ever to have a revote, even though several other players in the NFL's past history have had similar violations during their rookie season.[33]

Cushing was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for testing positive for banned substances. In the final 12 games, he totaled 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble.

During training camp heading into the 2011 season, Cushing was told that he would be switching from outside to inside linebacker due to the new 3-4 defense. They believed that he would not have the quickness to get to the outside. All through high school and college Cushing was always an outside linebacker. No one knew how he would adjust.

In 2011, the Houston Texans finished the season with a 10-6 record and made it to the playoffs for the first time in team history. Cushing was named Team MVP and while he wasn't voted to the Pro-Bowl he earned AP 2nd Team All-Pro honors after finishing the season with 114 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. Houston Texans defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, called Cushing a "holy phenom" and also said that "he's one of the best I've ever coached, and I've been at it a long time." Cushing said that he will use the fact that he did not make the Pro-Bowl as "motivation and a driving force" to become better. The Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 in the first round but were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 20-13 in the Divisional Round.

NFL awards and honors[link]

• 2x AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month (November 2009 & December 2009)^[18]
• 2x AFC Defensive Player of the Week (2009 weeks 6 & 8)^[22]
• 2009 AFC Defensive Player of the Month of November
• 2009 Pro Bowl selection (starter)
• 2009 SN-2nd Team All-Pro
• 2009 All-Rookie Selection (Sporting News, Pro Football Writers Association)
• 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
• 2011 Team Captain
• 2011 Team MVP
• 2011 AP-2nd Team All-Pro

References[link]

External links[link]

• Brian Cushing Official Website
• Houston Texans Brian Cushing biodata
• USC Trojans Brian Cushing bio

Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɑs ˈrʏtən]; born February 24, 1965) is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist, Karate and Taekwondo blackbelt, and kickboxer. 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). He is currently the star of Punk Payback on Fuel TV^[2] and co-host of Inside MMA on HDNet.

As a fighter, one of his favorite tactics was the liver shot (both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA.^[3][4] Rutten is known for his charisma and has capitalized on his celebrity since retiring from fighting in 1999. He has worked as a color commentator in several MMA organizations, including Pride, and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. He also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials.

Early life[link]

Rutten was born in Tilburg, Netherlands and developed from the age of 6 a skin disease, named eczema, and severe asthma. Because of the skin disease he always had to wear long sleeves, turtle necks and gloves to protect him from showing his skin, his asthma made him very skinny and because of all this he was bullied on a daily basis as a kid. Rutten found refuge in climbing trees at a forrest behind his house, when bullies would chase him, he would climb in a tree and could swing from tree top to tree top, which made it impossible for bullies to follow pursued.

Rutten became interested in martial arts at age 12 after his family went on vacation to France; the movie Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee was playing at the local movie theatre. Bas could not get in because he was just 12 years old and the movie was rated 18+, so he and his brother (Sjoerd) snuck into the theatre and after the movie he became addicted to martial arts.^[5] His conservative parents didn't allow him to pursue it at first. But after two years of begging his parents, at age 14, they allowed him to practice Tae Kwon Do, he picked it up really fast and after a few months he got in a street fight with the biggest bully in town. Rutten, now more confident, took the challenge and KO'd him with the first punch he threw. However, the bully broke his nose and police showed up at his parent's place, and Rutten was immediately removed and prohibited from further practicing Tae Kwon Do. He started to train in boxing at the backyard of an elementary school with a friend. At age 21, he moved out of his parent's house and started to train again in Tae Kwon Do. He was very committed and eventually earned a 2nd degree Black Belt. He then began learning Kyokushin Karate, and earned a 2nd degree Black Belt.^[6]Later he received from Jon Bluming an honorary 5th degree Black Belt after Bluming witnessed him breaking the shin bone from Kazua Takahashi by way of inverted heel hook.

Fighting career[link]

Kickboxing[link]

At the age of 20 he started competing in Muay Thai kickboxing. He fought 16 times and won the first 14 by knockout, 13 in the first round. He lost his final two fights by TKO.^[5]

In perhaps the biggest fight of his kickboxing career, Rutten faced Frank Lobman for the European Muay Thai title on February 12, 1991. Lobman won by TKO in the first round.^[7]

Pancrase[link]

Rutten began his professional mixed martial arts career with the Pancrase organization in Japan. In 1993, Japanese pro wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki traveled to Holland to scout fighters for their new "hybrid wrestling" (Bushido wrestling) organization, featuring submission fighting, but with no closed fisted strikes to the face. A precursor to modern mixed martial arts, the organization was the first of its kind, and featured early MMA names Frank Shamrock, Vernon White, Maurice Smith, Ken Shamrock, and Guy Mezger.

Rutten dominated his first two fights in Pancrase, winning each by KO. Rutten's first knockout was so brutal that his opponent Ryushi Yanagisawa (then the #4 ranked fighter in Japan) was carried from the ring and spent 2 days in a hospital. Rutten's striking was so powerful that, according to Frank Shamrock, it often intimidated other fighters. Frank Shamrock said, "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."^[8]

However, his lack (at that time) of ground-fighting experience led to a loss to the extraordinarily skilled Masakatsu Funaki. Rutten, realizing the importance of ground fighting, went to train with the master catch wrestler Funaki. The training paid off, as Rutten knocked out previously undefeated Minoru Suzuki with a liver shot from his knee. Rutten later said that this win was one of the happiest moments of his life.

Just 20 days later, Rutten faced another steep test, fighting future UFC champion Ken Shamrock, who was then one of the best Pancrase fighters. Rutten turned in a hard effort but ultimately lost the fight via rear naked choke. Rutten bounced back after the loss to Shamrock with a submission win over Jason DeLucia.

Rutten then participated in one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to date, the King of Pancrase Tournament. The winner of this tournament would be crowned the first champion of Pancrase. He was one of the four #1 seeds in the tournament and his first fight was against MMA newcomer (and future UFC champion) Frank Shamrock. Rutten lost a close (and somewhat controversial) decision in a fight considered a large upset, considering Rutten was a #1 seed in the tournament and Shamrock was then unknown and making his MMA debut.

Rutten found a measure of redemption after the upset loss in the first round of the King of Pancrase Tournament by choking out expert grappler and King of Pancrase Tournament Finalist Manabu Yamada in his next fight. With such an impressive showing against the tournament finalist, Rutten then received a rematch and a title shot against tournament winner and then current King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock for the King of Pancrase title, but lost early in the fight via submission due to a kneebar.

After his second loss to Shamrock, Rutten focused on grappling even harder than before and started training 2 to 3 times a day solely on submissions. Rutten won 7 out of his next 8 fights by submission. He put together a series of wins against future UFC champions Frank Shamrock and Maurice Smith and eventually challenged King of Pancrase Minoru Suzuki for the title. Rutten beat Suzuki for the second time, winning his first King of Pancrase title. After putting his title defenses on hold due to an injury, Rutten returned to the ring and beat interim King of Pancrase Frank Shamrock for the undisputed King of Pancrase title.

Rutten then avenged his loss to MMA legend Masakatsu Funaki in 1996 in what is considered to be one of the greatest fights in Pancrase history. Rutten described the war with Funaki in an interview:

Rutten then defended his title against both Frank Shamrock and the last one was against Masakatsu Funaki which he talked about above, and in so doing became a three time King of Pancrase. In 1996, he relinquished his title to be present for the birth of his second daughter.^[5] Rutten returned to Pancrase, taking 8 more victories, bringing his unbeaten streak up to 19 straight fights.

Rutten left Pancrase as one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the organization. MMA legend Ken Shamrock was the only fighter Rutten did not avenge a loss to. In 2000, when Rutten was PRIDE FC's color commentator, a third fight with Shamrock was entertained. Rutten agreed to come out of retirement to fight Shamrock in PRIDE FC. However, Shamrock stated that he already beat Rutten twice and that a third time wasn't necessary. Later, in 2002, Rutten said that he would not fight Shamrock again even if it was offered to him because of the friendship they developed over the years, and that he could not put his mind and heart into fighting Ken.^[10]

UFC[link]

In 1998, Rutten signed with the UFC, the biggest MMA promotion in the United States. Rutten entered the UFC with a massive amount of hype; he was undefeated in his last 19 fights and was touted by the organization as the greatest martial artist on the planet.

Rutten was originally scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Randy Couture in a title match for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first fight, but Couture had a contract dispute and left the UFC to sign with a different promotion. The title was then stripped from Couture and a tournament of sorts was set up to determine the next champion.

Rutten's first fight in his quest for the UFC belt was against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at UFC 18, which Rutten dramatically won by KO with just a minute left in overtime.

On May 5, 1999, at UFC 20, Rutten faced Kevin Randleman for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The first four minutes consisted of Rutten taking a lot of punishment from his guard. However, after the fight was stood up to check Rutten's cut, Rutten landed a devastating liver kick to Randleman's body to turn the tide of the fight. Randleman's pace slowed down considerably after the liver kick, which ultimately helped Rutten score judges' points by being the more active fighter. Rutten pounded away at Randleman from inside his guard, using elbow strikes to open up cuts on top of Randleman's head and punching Randleman to the face. The fight went into overtime, with Rutten taking a very close split decision victory to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Judging at that point was not based on the current 10-point must system, but who the judges felt won the fight overall.

Rutten vacated the title later in the year, in order to drop down to middleweight (now known as light heavyweight) a weight closer to his natural weight, in a bid to try to become the first person to hold a UFC title in two weight classes.^[5]

While training for his next UFC fight in 1999, Rutten suffered multiple serious injuries, including blowing out his knee (a long running injury), tearing his biceps, and suffering a neck injury. He was forced to retire from MMA competition for the time being, by doctors orders.^[5]

During his MMA career he became known for two particular things: his fondness of liver shots and his habit of doing a jumping split after winning a fight.^[5] Rutten talked about the origins of the "Rutten Jump" on his website: "When I won my first fight in Pancrase, I was so hyped that I jumped up in the splits to each side of the ring. Why? I don't know. But, it became my trademark and I had to do it after every fight that I won."^[11]

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."^[12]

Post-fight career[link]

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 performed a few times for NJPW from 2000 to 2002, including an IWGP title match against Yuji Nagata.

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 flying to Japan, and being away from his family every month.^[13]

Rutten has a cameo in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV" on the in-game TV show called "The Men's Room."^[14] 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".^[15]

He was also featured in WCW vs. the World for the PlayStation, but was named "Thunder Dome" to avoid copyright laws.

On January 23, 2008, he was announced as the new Vice President, 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 all ended when IFL went out of business in late 2008.

Currently, he and Rice host Inside MMA, a weekly MMA variety show on HDNet. 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 attend the events live in Japan. He is currently appearing in public health service ads, airing on Cartoon Network.

Coaching[link]

He is certified as an instructor of both MTBN Thai Boxing and Pancrase.

Rutten coached Mark Kerr during the filming of the HBO documentary The Smashing Machine.

In 2006 Rutten was tapped to coach a team for the International Fight League, an MMA organization that focused on team combat. His team, the Anacondas, defeated the Silverbacks 3–2.

Rutten is a former investor in the Legends MMA gym in Hollywood and used to teach there occasionally.^[16]

Rutten is now a part owner of the MMA gym Bas Rutten's Elite Mixed Martial Arts in Thousand Oaks, California. He teaches an MMA class on Tuesdays.^[17]

He also trained former street fighter Kimbo Slice for his professional MMA bouts, as well as former Ring of Honor champion and TNA World champion Samoa Joe.

Last fight[link]

On May 2006, Rutten announced his return to MMA competition. Cleared by doctors to fight again, Rutten was slated to face Kimo Leopoldo in the now defunct World Fighting Alliance on July 22, 2006, at The Forum in Los Angeles. Two days before the event, Kimo tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. In place of Kimo, Rutten fought Ruben "Warpath" Villareal. Rutten took a first-round victory by way of technical knockout after low kicks left his opponent unable to stand. With that he brought up his professional record to 28 wins 4 losses and 1 draw.

Personal life[link]

Rutten currently lives in Westlake Village, California with his wife Karin and three daughters Sabine who is 16, and twin daughters, Rachel and Bianca who are 12.^[18]

Rutten is known by the moniker "El Guapo", which means "The Handsome One" in Spanish. Rutten recently became a citizen of the United States.^[19]

Rutten is a certified chef.^[20]

Tattoos[link]

Rutten has several tattoos, each of which is intended to help him spiritually and emotionally:^[21]

During Rutten's career, whenever he had a fight, he would write two capital "R"s on the back of his hands with a magic marker. The "R" stood for Rustig, the Dutch word for "calm". This was intended to help him remember to stay calm during his fights.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Mixed Martial Arts

• Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling
  • King of Pancrase Openweight Championship (Three time)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record[link]