Masakatsu Funaki

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Masakatsu Funaki is a well-known Japanese professional wrestler who performed in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF and its later incarnation, the UWFi. However, he is most famous as the co-founder of Pancrase along with Minoru Suzuki, one of the first modern-day non-rehearsed shoot wrestling promotions (following five years after the inception of Shooto but predating America's Ultimate Fighting Championship). Not only the organization's co-founder, Funaki was also one of Pancrase's most successful fighters, scoring submission victories over the likes of Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Bas Rutten through the course of his 50-fight career. Many mixed martial arts pundits point to his second meeting with Bas Rutten as one of the most significant bouts in the sports' modern epoch, its excitement helping the sport reach the mainstream appeal it currently enjoys in Japan.

One of Funaki's most famous fights was in Japan in May 2000 against the legendary Brazilian Rickson Gracie, known as the strongest of all the fighters from the Gracie family. Funaki had Gracie on his back, and a standing Funaki was repeatedly delivering kicks to Gracie's legs. Eventually, after Funaki lost total focus for just a moment, Gracie was able to get to his feet. From there Gracie and Funaki went to the ground again. Gracie took a mount position. Funaki rolled onto his back due to Gracie's punches, and Gracie was thus able to win with a rear choke.

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