Stylisticlly this J kickboxer usually plays with constant heavy low roundhouse kicks and strong punches. He can play defense and take a lot of damage if he wants too but, Masato usually likes to play big boy and be aggressive. He likes to keep busy, which is okay with us cause that means constant action.
Masato first caught my attention in an under card match during the K-1 2001 GP final in Tokyo. His opponent was a kickboxer from Cape Verde named Noel Sorez. Sorez isn't eactly a chemically soften toliet paper roll either, and would probably make short work of some of those you see regularly on the K-1 max circuit. So the first round starts up, and Sorez looks to be wiping all kinds of poop up with some razzle dazzle hand combos. Meanwhile Masato looked like he was playing ant hospital and was kinda slow-like. He kept falling down in the middle of these slow motion roundhouse kicks. By the second round though, Masato's slow kicks be a transformed into these powerful and speedy emu-like leg kicks (it is common knowledge that the typical emu kick kinda hard). Sorez is still going bezerk with his hand combos but now Masato is looking very similar. As the rounds go by, it becomes clear that Masato's got things under control, and then poof- it ends with Sorez's noise broken with a punch. So after that match I summarized: Both fighters looked sharp and were quick, a definite contrast to the heavyweight tournament. The action never really slowed down and they've got power too. Hmm, maybe I should check out these middleweights.
I've only seen Masato's poop been wiped once, and that was during the 2002 K-1 world Max. I think most of the Js expected Masato to win the world Max easy; so it must of come to a surprise when he lost by decision to Albert Kraus (those cocky asians). Kraus also did this while throwing something like 5 kicks the entire match. Masato then got a one on one rematch with Kraus in the following October of that year. This was a fight to watch Kraus at his best (but not Masato, he had a mullet!). Kraus seemed more relaxed and performed a lot better, daring even to kick in a kickboxing match. In the end of the five rounds things were ruled a draw, but it could be argued that Masato lost. I just don't like to think about and blame it on a some Samson-like phenomena(he cut his hair down real short).
Masato is a bitch!!
-mar/06/2003-
