Masato Kobayashi: Kickboxing, Tournaments & Net Worth
Are you a fan of kickboxing? If you are, you’ve probably heard of Masato Kobayashi, also known as just Masato, a retired Japanese kickboxer.
The winner of the K-1 WORLD MAX World tournament in 2003 and 2008, Masato is a force to be reckoned with.
Masato was also the winner of the ISKA World Welterweight Oriental Rules champion.
On top of that, he was also the runner-up in the K-1 World MAX World competition in both 2004 and 2007.
As of now, this former kickboxing champion is currently an executive producer for K-1.
If you want to know about this fantastic talent, continue reading this article.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about Masato:
| Born Name | Kobayashi Masato (小林 雅人) |
| Native Name | 魔裟斗 |
| Known As | Masato |
| Nick Names | Silver Wolf, Charisma of MAX, Mākun, The Rebellious Charisma |
| Date of birth | March 10, 1979 |
| Age | 45 years old |
| Place of Birth | Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan |
| Religion | Not Known |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Gender | Male |
| Father’s Name | Not Known |
| Mother’s Name | Not Known |
| Number of Siblings | Not Known |
| Education | Asagiri Municipal Asagiri 4th Junior High School, Saitama Sakae High School |
| Height | 5 Feet and 8.5 Inches or 1.74 m |
| Weight | 70 Kg or 154 Pounds |
| Eye Color | Not Known |
| Hair Color | Not Known |
| Shoe Size | Not Known |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Shin Yazawa |
| Children | Three |
| Occupation | Kickboxer, Actor, Producer |
| Career Debut | Battled Hutoshi Takehara and won in the first round by KO |
| Career Wins | 55 |
| Medals and Awards | 55 Wins, 6 Losses, 2 Draws |
| Net Worth | $1.5 Million |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, Youtube |
| Merch | Hand Wraps, Body Armours, Foot Guards |
| Last Updated | April, 2024 |
Masato Kobayashi: Family, Education, and Early Life
Family
Masato Kobayashi was born on March 10, 1979, in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Masato Kobayashi was born to a loving family. However, his parents’ names are not known.
While he was still a child, he moved to Niiza, Saitama, because of his parent’s job.
This retired kickboxer is very private when it comes to his personal life. Therefore, no further information about his siblings is known.
Education
Masato started going to Asagiri Municipal Asagiri 4th Junior High School in Niiza, Saitama, Japan.
After graduating from junior high school, the athlete began attending Saitama Sakae High School but soon dropped out.
Masato stated that he dropped out of high school due to his “enthusiasm” while appearing with the famous Japanese television show “Junk Sports.”
Early Life
Kobayashi didn’t have a steady position after dropping out.
He did, however, get a job as a Yakitori bar helper, which he abandoned on the first day, claiming he was “going to leave for lunch.”
Masato then enrolled at Yonekura Boxing Gym as a 15-year-old in 1994.
He left the gym after failing the test for a professional boxers’ license.
When he was 17 years old, he joined Fuji Gym and began learning kickboxing because he believed it would help him in street fighting.
He finally passed the professional kickboxing exam and was certified by the All Japan Kickboxing Federation as a professional kickboxer (AJKF).
Shigeo Kato, the owner of Fuji gym, attempted to name Masato “Fuji Sankaizan” (藤 山海山) for his ring name before any fights but was denied.
But in the end, he was named Masato (魔裟斗), “the homonym term of Masato (雅人).”
However, he disliked this name because it reminded Masato of Japanese motorcycle gangs’ names.
Masato Kobayashi: Age, Height, and Weight
Masato Kobayashi is an extremely handsome man.
In addition, Silver Wolf was born on March 10, 1979, making him 45 years old. Kobayashi is a Pisces, known for having a fantastic attitude.
He stands at a proud height of 5 Feet and 8.5 Inches or 1.74 m which is advantageous for his career.
Kobayashi weighs 70 Kg or 154 Pounds giving him an upper hand amongst his rivals.
You might also be interested in reading about Yuzuru Hanyu, a world-famous Japanese figure skater.
Masato Kobayashi: Career
Kobayashi is a retired Japanese kickboxer who also works as an actor, producer, and model.
He is also the executive producer for K-1.
All Japan Kickboxing Federation
Masato began his professional career on March 23, 1997, when he defeated Hutoshi Takehara by KO in the first round.
However, on May 30, 1997, he was defeated by Takayuki Kohiruimaki in his second fight, losing by KO in the third round due to knee strikes.
After that, Masato faced Tomoharu Chiba for the vacant national AJKF welterweight title on March 17, 1999, when he was only 20 years old.
Moreover, he knocked Chiba in the third round, becoming the new champion.
He fought Eval Denton of the United States on November 22 and won by decision at 5R.
After this match, he was ranked #13 by the World Kickboxing Association (WKA), and he decided to leave the AJKF.
Silver Wolf
Masato started managing himself after quitting AJKF with his team “Silver Wolf.”
After that, he knocked down Kognapa with a quick upper left cut in Thailand on April 16, 2000.
Following that, K-1 provided Kobayashi the opportunity to compete against Morad Sari of France.
Sari was knocked out with a left hook, and Masato won the global oriental rules title of the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA).
Seeing this, the legendary kickboxer Takashi Ito decided to retire and did one last match with Masato Kobayashi.
Masato competed in the King’s Birthday event on December 5 and was defeated by Suriya Sor.
K-1 WORLD MAX
Masato competed in the 2002 K-1 MAX Tournament on February 11, 2002, and the presenters dubbed him “the Rebellious Charisma.” Moreover, he beat Taishin Kohiruimaki.
Then, Masato competed in the K-1 World MAX 2002 World Tournament Final on May 11, 2002, but was put down by Albert Kraus at 2R and lost.
Kobayashi then fought Melvin Murray of Canada in his “Wolf Revolution” event and knocked Murray out in the second round with low kicks.
Following that, Masato was invited to fight in the K-1 World MAX 2003 World Tournament Final on July 5, 2003, where he won the quarterfinals against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis.
After this, he defeated Thai kickboxer Sakeddaw Kiatputon in the semi-finals.
After that, Masato fought Kraus in the K-1 World MAX 2003 Champions’ Challenge, which ended in a decision draw.
However, Masato ultimately defeated Kraus in the second round with a left hook knockout at 2:26, becoming the new K-1 World MAX Champion.
Then, Masato lost by decision to Buakaw in the finals after defeating three opponents, including Kraus.
The three-round match ended in a tie, necessitating a fourth round to select a winner.
Masato was taken to the hospital after the match due to fractured ribs and facial injuries.
Retirement
After that, He competed in his 6th straight K-1 World MAX Final on October 3, 2007, in Tokyo, Japan.
In the quarterfinals, he faced Buakaw Por. Pramuk, the reigning champion. Masato knocked Buakaw out with a left uppercut and right cross combo near the end of the first round.
He dominated the fight from start to finish, winning by unanimous decision. Kobayashi won his semi-final match against Artur Kyshenko.
Masato defeated Yoshihiro Sato and Artur Kyshenko to win his second K-1 MAX title on October 1, 2008.
He battled Andy Souwer in his final fight before retiring. The fighter won the fight in five rounds, with Souwer being knocked out by a right-hand knockout.
Moreover, after the fight, Masato retired. In May of 2012, Masato was designated executive producer of K-1 Global.
According to a press release made by K-1 Global on December 31, 2012, Masato quit as executive producer.
Movies and TV shows
Masato Kobayashi has worked in various tv series such as Santosha: Battle Wheels and Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō.
He has also worked on Shamo, Lethal Ninja, IZO, and Dead or Alive 2: Birds.
You might also be interested in reading about Zayats Aliaksei, an acrobatic gymnast from Belarus.
Masato Kobayashi: Medals and Awards
Kobayashi has participated in many fights and also has a vast deal of wins.
He has fought 63 matches. Kobayashi has won 55 matches, of which knockouts won are 25 matches.
He has had six losses, out of which two were by knockouts. Masato has two draws in total.
Masato Kobayashi: Wife and Kids
On February 13, 2007, Masato Kobayashi held a press conference to announce his marriage to Shin Yazawa, a Japanese actress.
Further, they stated that they married in a public office on February 11, 2007.
In addition, Kobayashi disclosed that his wife refers to him as “Mkun.” Moreover, the couple does not have any children yet.
Masato Kobayashi: Net Worth
Masato Kobayashi has an estimated net worth of $1.5 Million.
Moreover, he collected this amount through his kickboxing and acting careers.
However, his specific salary isn’t disclosed to the public. Masato also does modeling gigs and has many followers on his social media.
He also served as K-1’s executive producer.
You might also be interested in reading about Stacy Keibler, a very talented wrestler.
Masato Kobayashi: Social Media
Terrific kickboxer Masato Kobayashi is very active on social media. He has an excellent fan following on multiple social media.
Further, Kobayashi usually posts about himself, his family, kickboxing career, and traveling.
The presence of Kobayashi can be summarized below:
Instagram: Over 300k followers
Youtube: Over 150k followers
Facebook: Over 40k followers
In addition, Masato also has a website named k-masato.com, where we can find his introduction and profiles.
It also includes all his lectures along with his contact information.
Masato Kobayashi: FAQ
Who is Masato Kobayashi’s wife?
The name of Masato Kobayashi’s wife is Shin Yazawa.
In addition, she is a Japanese actress and an entertainer who Japan Music Entertainment represents.
Further, she is 43 Years Old and stands at the height of 1.6 m or 5 feet and 2 inches.
