One of the greatest fights in all of MMA history...
At Pancrase 1996 Anniversary Show, Masakatsu challenged King
of Pancrase Bas Rutten in what is considered to be one of the
greatest fights in Pancrase MMA history. The Japanese wrestler came
near finishing the match earlier with an ankle lock, but Rutten
miraculously escaped and went defensive. Funaki made a wide usage
of the knee-on-stomach and mount position to initiate leglock
attacks, but the Dutch countered every time and eventually pushed
Masakatsu away of him, moment in which the Japanese threw an
illegal kick to Rutten, who was on his knees. The Dutch fighter
proceeded to knock Funaki down with a palm strike, and then broke
completely his nose with a second palm strike to a supine Funaki.
The stunned Japanese tried to stand up with Rutten, only for Bas to
capitalize with his famed striking game. Rutten knocked him down
twice with palms and knees, and then landed a lengthy, unanswered
string of strikes, until a knee to the face finally downed
Funaki. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masakatsu_Funaki
Bas Rutten versus Masakatsu Funaki (with Bas Rutten's
commentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhR3KArkvkA
Bas Rutten on this fight : "Before the fight when he came to
me, he made that thumb over the neck, throat slashing motion like I
was going to go down. I turned to my manager and said, "Okay, now
I'm going to kill this guy, you watch". My game plan was to keep
the fight going for 15 minutes...Funaki had never fought above 15
minutes. But then, like 12 minutes into it, while I'm still on my
knees he kicks me in the head. I block, but for me that was an
illegal thing to do. So right away I start, BANG, BANG, BANG, and
he goes down. From that moment on, I totally destroyed him. You got
to see the fight; it was a massacre. My palms were black from
hitting him so hard. He had the gods on his side or something,
because he stood up every time. I hit his face back on the mat and
you hear it slam into the mat. His nose is all the way to the side,
broke, they have to straighten it out. I go, "Oh my God, this guy
can take a shot!" I kneed him so hard in the head. He went down
four times. But the last knee I gave to him was like everything I
had. I grabbed him by the head and kneed him. It was really like a
Rocky movie. I'm standing there and I fall backwards, and I'm
totally out of breath. I get up and the referee holds my hand up.
Then he lets my hand go and I drop again, BOOM! I was exhausted, I
gave everything I had; I really wanted to destroy him. I broke his
cheekbones and broke his nose, just because he said he was going to
kill me. Oh, I was so angry at him. But afterwards, friends
again...what a crazy sport this is, huh?"
