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 and other wins against exeptional fighters like Yuki Kondo, Semmy Schilt, Vernon White, and Minoru Suzuki . 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.

Funaki retired from competition after a win over Tony Petarra in September of 1999 due to accumulated injuries and, according to fellow Pancrase fighter and friend Bas Rutten, being burnt out from the hectic Pancrase schedule. However, in 2000, he returned for a fight against Rickson Gracie. Though Funaki broke Rickson's orbital bone, he was ultimately defeated by a rear-naked choke.

Appearances

Anime

• (1994) The Animated Movie: Fei Long
• (2001) Shootfighter Tekken: Seiko "Oton" Miyazawa

Movies

• (2000) Spirit War Chronicle: Tankai
• (2001) Electric Dragon 80.000 V: Narrator
• (2004) Final Wars: Kumasaka

Japanese professional wrestlers | 船木誠勝