Bas Rutten will continue to coach in IFL

[keithlewis]

Bas Rutten will resume his coaching duties for the IFL’s Los Angeles Anacondas during the first-ever IFL individual World Grand Prix tournament. Rutten confirmed this today in an interview with MMA Madness, saying “I’m going to bring them (the Anacondas) to the Grand Prix. I’ll take these guys now for the next two shows.”

Yesterday, MMA Weekly broke the news that Shawn Tompkins, who took the reigns from Rutten earlier this year, will be stepping down from his position with the team. The Anacondas, who entered the IFL playoffs as the league’s top-seeded team, were eliminated from championship contention with a 4-1 loss to the Quad City Silverbacks at the August semi-finals. However the Anacondas remain the most heavily represented team in the Grand Prix, with four fighters competing in the first round of the individual tournament in November.

“I want to be with the guys,” said Rutten. “It’s a promise I made and when I [handed] over the jersey to Shawn Tompkins I said, ‘If you guys [are] ever going to have any problems, always give me a call.’ Well, I think this is a major problem, so I’ve got to jump in and help out right now.” (mmamadness.com)