MMA legend, karate and taekwondo black belt and UFC Hall of Famer – Bas Rutten, is a man that can say he had a superstar martial arts career.
But the former Dutch-American UFC heavyweight champion has one regret that is teasing him up to this day. Rutten, 55, is bitter that he never squared off with another martial arts legend – Rickson Gracie.
Here’s what Bas said to Fighter’s Only:
Is there one fighter you never faced off against, but wished you had?
“Rickson Gracie. At the time every one was saying he was the greatest so I actually challenged him. People twisted the whole thing and tried to say it was because I didn’t like him. But I had nothing against him, I just wanted to find out who was the best.
“And I would have loved another rematch against Ken Shamrock, after improving my ground skills. It almost happened in Pride, and I would have come out of retirement, but he declined. He said we’d already done it twice and didn’t need a third.”