Bas Rutten's Top 5 MMA Gifts

With Christmas right around the corner and people still looking for last-minute gifts, MMAInsider spoke to legendary fighter, commentator and entrepreneur Bas "El Guapo" Rutten to get the rundown of his Top 5 gifts for the MMA enthusiast looking to up their game the way the pros do.

5 -- Fight Shorts with Non-Slip Material Inseams
"If I were competing right now I would like to have fight shorts that go to your knees or just a little bit over them with the inside gi-like (non-slip) material. I think those are better than anything else because you have traction because it's more difficult for your opponent to escape submissions like arm bars and triangle chokes."

4 -- Good Music to Listen to During Training
"Some people say it's not important, but for me it's one of the priorities. Techno to warm you up and when you want to get really aggressive go for music like Rage Against the Machine; that really gets me worked up."

3 -- Heavy Padded Training Gloves with Open Palms
"It's a little more difficult to do submissions with these - especially rear naked chokes - but you can actually spar with these gloves. If you injure your hands, training is over, and hand injuries are the worst because you can't hit or do submissions."

2 -- Dentist-Fitted Mouthpiece
"One that locks into your upper teeth and an under-bite for your lower teeth, this is very important. This makes a big difference when wanting to keep your teeth or between getting knocked out or not. You can resist a way bigger blow with a properly fitted mouthpiece than without."

1 -- Instructional DVD Sets
"If you want to focus on fighting in a cage, ring or MMA career I would say buy the Big DVDs of Combat. Even BJ Penn told me personally it was the best instructional he's seen. Or, if you're out with your girlfriend and need to protect yourself on the street get the Lethal Street Fighting DVD."

"This whole list is a great start, but in the end you need motivation and determination to make it all work. These gifts will be sure to get a smile and you'll be on your way to a fine 2009; Godspeed and party on!"