Before he himself retires on New Year's Eve, two-time K-1 World Max champion and Japanese fan favorite Masato snuck in a fight over the weekend to help send-off his friend and teammate Daiguji Susumu.
Masato made the surprise appearance in an exhibition fight against his 31-year-old Silver Wolf cohort at a kickboxing show Saturday at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The two initially attacked each other wearing headgear and shin guards but in an act of showmanship, removed their headgear for the second and final round. The bout was declared a draw.
Masato is scheduled to headline this year's Dynamite!! 2009 against an opponent to be determined. He would have fought K-1 World Max GP 2009 winner Giorgio Petrosyan, but Petrosyan will not be eligible to compete due to a broken hand suffered two weeks ago on the evening of his championship win.
The video at the top is of the entire fight and below is Susumu's emotional farewell speech.
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