redjuh
22-02-2007, 00:49
http://cbs.sportsline.com/boxing/story/10010296
Bas Rutten has done it all when it comes to mixed martial arts. His resume is as impressive as anyone's in the sport, having been a fighter, announcer, trainer and coach.
As a competitor, he's a former King of Pancrase and a former UFC heavyweight champion, and his broadcasting highlights include serving as a color analyst for many of PRIDE's biggest matches. His current focus these days is as the co-owner of Legends Gym in Los Angeles with Randy Couture, and as a coach of the Los Angeles Anacondas in the IFL.
Rutten returned to competitive MMA following an eight-year absence this past July during a World Fighting Alliance pay-per-view. He was victorious against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal in his return, earning a first-round knockout via the same powerful leg kicks that helped him record many of his 28-career wins. Unfortunately, it might have been the last time we get to see the legendary warrior compete inside of a cage or ring.
Q: When you stepped away from competitive mixed martial arts in 1999, did you think it was possible for the sport to have gotten as big as it has?
BR: Oh yes. I knew right away at the time. I already said to everyone that this is going to be way better than boxing [and] that this was going to take over everything. And it's doing it.
Q: Your last fight was with the WFA against Ruben Villareal last July. The UFC purchased select assets from the WFA this past December. Was your contract one of the ones picked up by the UFC?
BR: Yes, but you know what, my knee is so banged up from the last time, the last fight, I tore my ACL and meniscus, again, and I kept shutting it down with cortisones. Which is of course not such a smart thing to do for after the fight, and now it hurts.
Q: Are you looking possibly in the long-term to get back into the cage or ring?
BR: No. No, I'm not, because I have a very bad combination in my knee; I have an ACL and meniscus and I have arthritis on top of it. If it picks up the ACL and meniscus, my knee is going to be more tight and when it's more tight the arthritis will come back that much harder.
Q: Dana White said in an online chat with UFC fans that he'd love to get you back in the UFC. Has he contacted about having you come back in a non-fighting role?
BR: No, no he did not contact me.
Q: Would you have any interest in going back?
BR: If my knee is good, yes, you know, but the pain in my knee takes all the pleasure from my training. I can't even move my knee to the side. As long as I feel that pain, I don't want to train and I can't fight.
Q: You fought a lot of tough opponents during your career, fighters such as Kevin Randleman, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, and Maurice Smith. Of all the guys you faced, who was your toughest opponent?
BR: The toughest one I had I think was [Masakatsu] Funaki. That was a guy I lost to my third fight and I had a rematch against him. He kept coming up and I knocked him down four or five times but he kept coming back; it was crazy until I clocked him at the end with a knee to the head but it was insanely hard. But in between, he came back tough, he was on the ground and the whole audience of 16,000 people started screaming for him: "Funaki!" And then he got up again and I go, "Man, what's going on here, "because my hands were black and blue and my knees were black and blue from hitting him.
Q: You co-own Legends Gym in Los Angeles with Randy Couture. What's your reaction to Randy coming out of retirement to fight Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 68?
BR: Randy is a smart dude and he knows exactly what he's doing, so I figure that he's got a big, big chance of winning. The fight I'd really be worried about is him facing Cro Cop. … I think that Cro Cop is an accident waiting to happen. And I mean that in a good way for Cro Cop but in bad way for one of his opponents. That kick needs to only meet you one time in the head with the shin bone and then that could be gnarly. But Randy's tough and I'm pretty sure if he puts everything right in his head, he's gonna be OK, he can do it.
Q: Cro Cop is known for his powerful kicks, but you were known for some pretty powerful kicks as well. Is there any kind of secret to getting that kind of power behind your kicks, or is that just all natural?
BR: I think it's all natural just like a knockout punch. It's something you can't train; you either have it or you don't. I think you can make it harder by training, but knockout? No, you either have it or you don't. It's just a way of locking up your hip at the right time. It's the same with a punch also, locking up your shoulders at the right time. And if you can do that then that knockout power is there. But like I said, you can enhance it but not really to the full 100 percent. You can make it stronger by 40 percent, but that's about it, I think.
Q: You're also the coach of the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL and you train a lot of young fighters out of your gym. Which fighters under your tutelage should MMA fans look out for?
BR: My whole team. And the one I always point out, but it's just because he's a freak of nature is our youngest kid, he's 19 years old, Chris Horodecki. I just point him out because he looks like he's 14, if not younger. So when people see him, they go, 'Nah, there's no way can that kid fight' but he's 8-0 with six knockouts. It's just insane. Pull up a picture and see what I mean, he looks like a 14-year-old kid.
Q: What's your experience with the IFL been like so far?
BR: I swear that every coach will tell you the same thing: everybody's amazed because everything they said, they actually did. And trust me I've been around and I know a lot of other organizations, and this has never happened. We've had guys coming in -- and this has happened a couple of times -- who got injured five days before the fight and they still got their money paid. What organization on the planet does that?
Q: EliteXC recently held their first-ever card on Showtime. They had a high-profile woman's match between Gina Carano and Julie Kedzie. As a former fighter and a current fight trainer, what's your take on women competing in MMA?
BR: Well, the way they were doing it, it's a blessing. Lucia Reiker is a good friend of mine and she's the toughest boxer on the planet. If you see her fight, she hits like a guy. And I think it was the same with this fight, it was a great woman's fight, so I think it's good.
Q: Has EliteXC contacted you about in the past about possibly getting involved with them as a commentator?
BR: Yes. Right away when they started out they called me to be a commentator but I'm with the IFL so I can't do it.
Q: You were a color commentator for PRIDE for an extended period of time. For months there have been rumors about a possible sale. In your dealings with them did you ever notice instability when it came to their business behind the scenes?
BR: Yeah, the people they had working for them here in the States. I started realizing it because I gave them all the warnings, all the heads up but they never listened and now you see what happened.
Q: What factored into your decision to leave PRIDE as an announcer?
BR: After six years of working for them, and I think I did a whole lot for them, I asked for a raise and the return answer was, "But Bas, all the fighters they get more money. "I rest my case. So everybody else gets more money, except Bas Rutten, who travels 12 times a year to Japan. That's quite a jet lag you get there to fly over there the whole time and I felt I should be compensated for that. I brought a lot of limelight to them here in America. I think I did a lot of stuff for them. I set up a meeting with the athletic commission and that's pretty much the reason why they are in the States right now. It was after four years of trying that I went in for one meeting and I said let me do the work. And that they said "we're splitting hairs here, why don't we change it" and they [PRIDE] can come to the United States. With all these things I thought they could have been nicer to me.
Q: There have been some reports that have circulated recently that the WWE tried to hire you to be a pro wrestler. Are those reports true?
BR: Yeah, but that was awhile ago. That's years ago.
Q: Was it something that you seriously considered?
BR: I wanted to but I thought I could get away with 20 shows a year, or 30 maybe. But I saw the schedule and the minimum shows I had to do was 200 and my wife was pregnant, or my baby had just been born, and I said you know what, I'm going to pass on this one because these are going to be the most important years. I was already spending a lot of time away from home and I didn't want to do it.
Q: Who do you consider to be the top pound-for-pound fighter out there in MMA right now?
BR: I would say Fedor Emelianenko and I think pound-for-pound also you should consider B.J. Penn. I mean he's a real good wrestler, he has good takedowns, his submissions are off the hook and his striking is good. So pound-for-pound I think he's [Penn] one of the best guys out there.
Q: Do you see anyone on the horizon that could threaten Fedor and his unbeaten streak?
BR: Of course, everybody who fights everybody can lose at a certain moment, I think Josh Barnett could give him a run for his money. Josh is the kind of fighter that's really tough and keeps coming. I think that should be a great fight. Mirko Cro Cop, again, of course that would be a good one too but they just have a great heavyweight division in PRIDE. Now, of course Mirko is in the UFC. That was a smart move. But if Fedor is going to come also to the UFC, just like Mirko did, they could brawl it out again which would be exciting to see for the fans!
Q: Do you still keep in contact with Marr Kerr?
BR: No I don't. After the last training he didn't contact me anymore. I think he should consider taking it easy and not take fighting as a career anymore. If you really want to fight, you have to train two times a day and you cannot show up late. You've got to go over all these things, you know? So no, after that I didn't talk to him anymore.
Bas Rutten has done it all when it comes to mixed martial arts. His resume is as impressive as anyone's in the sport, having been a fighter, announcer, trainer and coach.
As a competitor, he's a former King of Pancrase and a former UFC heavyweight champion, and his broadcasting highlights include serving as a color analyst for many of PRIDE's biggest matches. His current focus these days is as the co-owner of Legends Gym in Los Angeles with Randy Couture, and as a coach of the Los Angeles Anacondas in the IFL.
Rutten returned to competitive MMA following an eight-year absence this past July during a World Fighting Alliance pay-per-view. He was victorious against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal in his return, earning a first-round knockout via the same powerful leg kicks that helped him record many of his 28-career wins. Unfortunately, it might have been the last time we get to see the legendary warrior compete inside of a cage or ring.
Q: When you stepped away from competitive mixed martial arts in 1999, did you think it was possible for the sport to have gotten as big as it has?
BR: Oh yes. I knew right away at the time. I already said to everyone that this is going to be way better than boxing [and] that this was going to take over everything. And it's doing it.
Q: Your last fight was with the WFA against Ruben Villareal last July. The UFC purchased select assets from the WFA this past December. Was your contract one of the ones picked up by the UFC?
BR: Yes, but you know what, my knee is so banged up from the last time, the last fight, I tore my ACL and meniscus, again, and I kept shutting it down with cortisones. Which is of course not such a smart thing to do for after the fight, and now it hurts.
Q: Are you looking possibly in the long-term to get back into the cage or ring?
BR: No. No, I'm not, because I have a very bad combination in my knee; I have an ACL and meniscus and I have arthritis on top of it. If it picks up the ACL and meniscus, my knee is going to be more tight and when it's more tight the arthritis will come back that much harder.
Q: Dana White said in an online chat with UFC fans that he'd love to get you back in the UFC. Has he contacted about having you come back in a non-fighting role?
BR: No, no he did not contact me.
Q: Would you have any interest in going back?
BR: If my knee is good, yes, you know, but the pain in my knee takes all the pleasure from my training. I can't even move my knee to the side. As long as I feel that pain, I don't want to train and I can't fight.
Q: You fought a lot of tough opponents during your career, fighters such as Kevin Randleman, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, and Maurice Smith. Of all the guys you faced, who was your toughest opponent?
BR: The toughest one I had I think was [Masakatsu] Funaki. That was a guy I lost to my third fight and I had a rematch against him. He kept coming up and I knocked him down four or five times but he kept coming back; it was crazy until I clocked him at the end with a knee to the head but it was insanely hard. But in between, he came back tough, he was on the ground and the whole audience of 16,000 people started screaming for him: "Funaki!" And then he got up again and I go, "Man, what's going on here, "because my hands were black and blue and my knees were black and blue from hitting him.
Q: You co-own Legends Gym in Los Angeles with Randy Couture. What's your reaction to Randy coming out of retirement to fight Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 68?
BR: Randy is a smart dude and he knows exactly what he's doing, so I figure that he's got a big, big chance of winning. The fight I'd really be worried about is him facing Cro Cop. … I think that Cro Cop is an accident waiting to happen. And I mean that in a good way for Cro Cop but in bad way for one of his opponents. That kick needs to only meet you one time in the head with the shin bone and then that could be gnarly. But Randy's tough and I'm pretty sure if he puts everything right in his head, he's gonna be OK, he can do it.
Q: Cro Cop is known for his powerful kicks, but you were known for some pretty powerful kicks as well. Is there any kind of secret to getting that kind of power behind your kicks, or is that just all natural?
BR: I think it's all natural just like a knockout punch. It's something you can't train; you either have it or you don't. I think you can make it harder by training, but knockout? No, you either have it or you don't. It's just a way of locking up your hip at the right time. It's the same with a punch also, locking up your shoulders at the right time. And if you can do that then that knockout power is there. But like I said, you can enhance it but not really to the full 100 percent. You can make it stronger by 40 percent, but that's about it, I think.
Q: You're also the coach of the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL and you train a lot of young fighters out of your gym. Which fighters under your tutelage should MMA fans look out for?
BR: My whole team. And the one I always point out, but it's just because he's a freak of nature is our youngest kid, he's 19 years old, Chris Horodecki. I just point him out because he looks like he's 14, if not younger. So when people see him, they go, 'Nah, there's no way can that kid fight' but he's 8-0 with six knockouts. It's just insane. Pull up a picture and see what I mean, he looks like a 14-year-old kid.
Q: What's your experience with the IFL been like so far?
BR: I swear that every coach will tell you the same thing: everybody's amazed because everything they said, they actually did. And trust me I've been around and I know a lot of other organizations, and this has never happened. We've had guys coming in -- and this has happened a couple of times -- who got injured five days before the fight and they still got their money paid. What organization on the planet does that?
Q: EliteXC recently held their first-ever card on Showtime. They had a high-profile woman's match between Gina Carano and Julie Kedzie. As a former fighter and a current fight trainer, what's your take on women competing in MMA?
BR: Well, the way they were doing it, it's a blessing. Lucia Reiker is a good friend of mine and she's the toughest boxer on the planet. If you see her fight, she hits like a guy. And I think it was the same with this fight, it was a great woman's fight, so I think it's good.
Q: Has EliteXC contacted you about in the past about possibly getting involved with them as a commentator?
BR: Yes. Right away when they started out they called me to be a commentator but I'm with the IFL so I can't do it.
Q: You were a color commentator for PRIDE for an extended period of time. For months there have been rumors about a possible sale. In your dealings with them did you ever notice instability when it came to their business behind the scenes?
BR: Yeah, the people they had working for them here in the States. I started realizing it because I gave them all the warnings, all the heads up but they never listened and now you see what happened.
Q: What factored into your decision to leave PRIDE as an announcer?
BR: After six years of working for them, and I think I did a whole lot for them, I asked for a raise and the return answer was, "But Bas, all the fighters they get more money. "I rest my case. So everybody else gets more money, except Bas Rutten, who travels 12 times a year to Japan. That's quite a jet lag you get there to fly over there the whole time and I felt I should be compensated for that. I brought a lot of limelight to them here in America. I think I did a lot of stuff for them. I set up a meeting with the athletic commission and that's pretty much the reason why they are in the States right now. It was after four years of trying that I went in for one meeting and I said let me do the work. And that they said "we're splitting hairs here, why don't we change it" and they [PRIDE] can come to the United States. With all these things I thought they could have been nicer to me.
Q: There have been some reports that have circulated recently that the WWE tried to hire you to be a pro wrestler. Are those reports true?
BR: Yeah, but that was awhile ago. That's years ago.
Q: Was it something that you seriously considered?
BR: I wanted to but I thought I could get away with 20 shows a year, or 30 maybe. But I saw the schedule and the minimum shows I had to do was 200 and my wife was pregnant, or my baby had just been born, and I said you know what, I'm going to pass on this one because these are going to be the most important years. I was already spending a lot of time away from home and I didn't want to do it.
Q: Who do you consider to be the top pound-for-pound fighter out there in MMA right now?
BR: I would say Fedor Emelianenko and I think pound-for-pound also you should consider B.J. Penn. I mean he's a real good wrestler, he has good takedowns, his submissions are off the hook and his striking is good. So pound-for-pound I think he's [Penn] one of the best guys out there.
Q: Do you see anyone on the horizon that could threaten Fedor and his unbeaten streak?
BR: Of course, everybody who fights everybody can lose at a certain moment, I think Josh Barnett could give him a run for his money. Josh is the kind of fighter that's really tough and keeps coming. I think that should be a great fight. Mirko Cro Cop, again, of course that would be a good one too but they just have a great heavyweight division in PRIDE. Now, of course Mirko is in the UFC. That was a smart move. But if Fedor is going to come also to the UFC, just like Mirko did, they could brawl it out again which would be exciting to see for the fans!
Q: Do you still keep in contact with Marr Kerr?
BR: No I don't. After the last training he didn't contact me anymore. I think he should consider taking it easy and not take fighting as a career anymore. If you really want to fight, you have to train two times a day and you cannot show up late. You've got to go over all these things, you know? So no, after that I didn't talk to him anymore.