By the age of 13, hoping to "show his masculinity", he began studying the traditional martial art pencak silat;[4] his father had practiced karate.

[5] By the mid-2000s Yayan Ruhian had taught pencak silat in countries such as Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and also learned several further martial arts techniques, such as aikido.

[6] Yayan Ruhian played Mad Dog in Evans' 2011 film The Raid,[4] and handled the fight choreography together with costar Iko Uwais.

[11] Evans' 2014 release, The Raid 2, cast Yayan Ruhian as Prakoso, an assassin and confidant of mafia kingpin Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo).

[4][12] Recognising that Yayan Ruhian had already been identified with Mad Dog, Evans emphasized that Prakoso was a new character: a failed father and husband, aged sixty, who is nevertheless a faithful employee.

[12] Charlotte O'Sullivan of the London Evening Standard found Yayan's portrayal of Prakoso "sublime", writing that "when his body starts flying through the air, you feel as if you’re reading his life story".

[14] In mid-2014, it was announced that Yayan Ruhian would appear in Takashi Miike's Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld, playing alongside Hayato Ichihara as Kyoken.