Issue 61C - 1/16/00 Pancrase Pancrash! Pancrase taped 9/14/98

Bas Rutten vs. Kengo Watanabe

Poor Watanabe! He was a star college rugby player, but he got no favors here, drawing the most unstoppable force in the history of the company as his opponent in his debut match. Since the company has such high hopes for him, I thought he was supposed to fight at least 20 matches before he faced anyone decent. Oops, this isn't Don King Promotions. The one thing Watanabe had going for him is that Bas hadn't fought in Pancrase for quite a while, but even a "rusty" Bas still kicks just about anyone's ass. Watanabe didn't seem particularly well prepared for this fight. I mean, I guess his strategy was to willingly exchange blows with Bas. It's like, hello, no one has ever been able to match Bas in striking. Watanabe got a few decent shots in, but took a vicious knee that bloodied his nose and put him down. He was also put down by a shotei before being TKO's by a shotei. A really one-sided bout. Watanabe is popular with the women, but his looks certainly weren't as good by the end of this massacre. After the match, Bas challenged Rickson Gracie to a fight. Of course, this will never happen because Rickson would lose that one. 2:58