In a recent Q&A video, MMA legend Bas Rutten didn’t hold back when addressing one of the most frequently asked questions in martial arts circles, what does he think about Steven Seagal and Aikido’s effectiveness in real combat?
“They always have to ask about Steven Seagal.”
Rutten said with a knowing smile before launching into his characteristically honest assessment.
Despite the controversy surrounding Seagal in recent years, Rutten was quick to give credit where it’s due.
“Let’s go completely honest first, right? () loved himas an actor. The movie Nico, I mean, the one on the boat, I mean, () unbelievable martial artist. You can say whatever you want to say, and people see him and they can have their own thoughts about him, but as a martial artist, what he does is really amazing. So yes, he’s a great martial artist.”
Rutten’s appreciation for Seagal‘s technical skill in Aikido is genuine, but that’s where the praise ends and the reality check begins.
“The fact that he starts saying, you know, teaching people that Aikido will work in a street f*ght, it’s not. Elements of Aikido will work.”
He illustrated the problem with a practical example.
“Now, in Aikido, which is a beautiful art, there’s a lot of throws, you know, but then somebody attacks you like this and then you go with him and you throw, you see the arm coming. If I stand in front of you, they go boop, you can’t grab that punch, they’re going to goof bof. You’re going to be too slow for that. Or somebody in the bar, you know, with a big right hook, yes, perfect Aikido step, they’re going to throw them. Beautiful sport.”
Rutten’s point is clear, Aikido techniques are designed for controlled situations that rarely reflect the chaotic reality of confrontations.
“And it’s with every sport, the more sports you combine, that’s why we have mixed martial arts”
“That’s why a lot of these guys are cross-training now. They also start regular boxing now, you see, now they start getting used to those speeds. And then if you mix it in, you see, so there’s always good stuff.”
Despite his criticism of pure Aikido in combat, Rutten acknowledges that certain elements have value.
“There’s a lot of elements from Aikido, like hand control and the way to control the arms, that you can use in mixed martial arts. I’m not saying that at all.”
“But saying that pure Aikido is going to make you win a mixed martial arts match, it’s just not going to happen. Can you get lucky? Of course you can get lucky. But I’m just saying the truth.”
Rutten pointed to the evolution of MMA to support his argument.
“It’s the same as just wrestling. Is that going to save you? Yeah, at the beginning it did, but then you see people adapting, start stopping the takedowns, or start submitting them.”
“The lesson is universal. Solely karate, solely boxing, only kickboxing, all these things, apart from great, are not going to work really well if your opponent knows.”
Rutten’s assessment of Steven Seagal and Aikido comes from a place of experience and respect for martial arts, not cynicism.
In today’s combat sports landscape, the question isn’t whether Aikido has value. It’s whether any single martial art can stand alone against a trained mixed martial artist. According to one of MMA’s greatest pioneers, the answer is clear, it simply won’t work.
