Masato vs Buakaw 2 | With Commentary and Breakdown

[@-MATER.DEI-]

K1 Buakaw was something otherworldly man,he was like a demon on a rampage.

[@99Steve]

So much of Buakaw's style, both offensively and defensively, is based off of his front leg teep. It helps him push his opponent backwards and intercept them when they're coming forward so he can maintain distance. It helps him set up kicking combinations with both his rear roundhouse kick and his lead switch kick. The same thing with setting up knees off of the initial teep. He can also use it as fake to set up kicks from the opposite leg. Once he's established it as a threat, he can use it as a fake to set up that Dempsey style falling jab as well. The jab and the teep work off of each other constantly keeping his opponent guessing. The same principle applies with his rear front kicks which can be used to set up combinations or being used as fakes to set up knees and kicks. He could also use those front kick to step forward to close the distance into a clinch if he wanted to. That was one of the keys to how he destroyed Masato so badly in that first fight. When he stopped doing that in this fight, he was still a great fighter but he removed one of the foundation pieces of his style. His boxing works better anyway when it opened up due to his kicking and knee game. That being said, Masato is still a truly great fighter and he was absolutely on point in this fight. It might have been the best performance of his career. So, it was going to be a very tough fight no matter what.

[@branchy5838]

honestly i have no idea how you don't have a massive following on this channel it's honestly the most educational and realistic advice you can find on the internet for fighting

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Thanks man. Hopefully it will get there soon. I'm glad you're enjoying the content.

[@keithakid]

Give it time. :)

[@paulpelle3046]

I agree with this statement 100%. This channel is the ONLY one I now check daily. It’s crazy to me that u don’t have MILLIONS of subscribers Gabriel 🙏

[@wadestoss3325]

Buakaw had a completely different style by this point. In the first fight he was basically a typical Thai style but with the aggression cranked up. In the time between he became highly dominant and I think the real turning point was when he brutally TKO'd Sauwer using hands. It made him overconfident in his hands. He was so good that it took a while to catch up to him, but eventually it did.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Yes, agreed. That 2006 probably make him feel super human. It was a domination.

[@Markperna1]

Great breakdown! You now, officially, have my favorite KZbin channel. So glad you are posting so much.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Wow, thanks 🙏

[@03Minoru]

How come I just found this video. Amazing breakdown

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it. Amazing fight.

[@galoobigboi]

A fresh masato was an absolute monster. He usually had a harder time in tournaments with his conditioning wich was good,but not allways on par with the likes of buakaw or souwer. I miss those k1 max days. Best era for kickboxing. Seeing these two,kraus,zambidis and consorts duke it out was such a treat.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Definitely the best time for kickboxing. Yep. Tournaments are hard. Masato had the cardio for it but took damage in fights which isn't great for 3 fights in a night.

[@galoobigboi]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Yes. I tend to forget that going through those brackets facing all these monsters must be such a daunting task he did take some rough damage,especially against Buakaw and Souwer.He did beat both when fighting them fresh though. Thx for the videos you put out. Well produced,and you're a fountain of knowledge for practitioners like me and the laymen. Keep it up,and I look forward for your next bout.

[@mike2011989]

This channel deserves more viwership

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Thanks my friend. It's growing so we'll get there 🙏

[@vhp99]

Please do more breakdowns of other fighters (including yours ofc)

[@elliottdaunois6697]

Thx a lot for the breakdown. What a fight!!! This uppercut is so sharp.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I know right. Judging by the number of times he threw it I'd say it was definitely part of his game plan.

[@facundovega1726]

I love this channel! it's like a master class!. advices straight from a real good champion with firsthand experience in fight. this is priceless, thank you Gabriel!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Thanks for the kind words. I'll keep the videos coming. I'm really enjoying sharing and interacting with everyone 👍

[@kelvinrojas1867]

Nice breakdown im adding that low kick 🦵🏼 feint 2,1

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I'm guessing you land it many times. Try selling the low kick more by looking low as welll. I love faking out people with my eyes.

[@waynemorgan6153]

Masato had exceptional handywork specifically when it comes to Japanese or more broadly Asian kickboxers who aren't really reknowned for such and it showed in this fight. So fast and crisp with his combination work. Buakaw as usual probably the most lethal kicker at that time but like most other Thais trained in that loading up punching style where they rely moreso on power shots and throw punches in 1's or 2's not really string combinations.

[@BillLayton]

Great breakdown Gabriel thanks! I've watched these fights so many times it's great to slow them down and see what's happening.

[@andreasvanbergen9696]

Wow! Those fights are awesome! Thanks for the good comments Gabriel! Cheers!

[@nuddlegg]

This channel is rare.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

😀 🙏 😊

[@Wxll_YT]

Buakaw changed his style because they changed the rules from limited clinch to no clinch. They saw how good buakaw was even with limited clinch so they knew he would dominate with those rules.. so they changed it to no clinch.

[@Speedofdark339]

Alistair overeem and semmy schlit contributed to the rule change just as much.

[@antant06]

Thank you soooo much for your wisdom. We are all really lucky that you are so generous with your time!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

It's fun connecting with everyone. Especially while everything is locked down.

[@nickthenerdpeppermma]

Awesome video as always Mr. Varga; excellent breakdown of two of the all time greatest to compete in K-1 Max (truly the one of Golden Eras of Kickboxing!!)....I would love to see you do a breakdown of Buakaw vs Virgil Kalakoda; 2 of my favorites from the K-1 Max; makes a great contrast of styles.. boxing vs muay thai.... Kalakodas pressure fighting style vs Buakaws smooth technical (and brutally efficient) Muay Thai!.. it's a fight I've probably watched at least a dozen times ( and wil surely watch a dozen more!)... I would truly appreciate ypur expertise opinion and analysis of that legendary bout.. ty for continuing to produce all the amazing content Mr. Varga; much gratitude!!@

[@Msj23244]

Really enjoyed this. Would love if you went over more recent k1 fighters in japan such as takeru. But generally you breaking down fights with us is a great learning opportunity for us. Thank you

[@jinryu9539]

Great breakdown, coach! I'd love to watch a video where you break down your own fights. I think we can learn a lot from that!

[@yamazaki997]

amazing fight , great breakdown

[@Acumenathletics]

These breakdowns are great. Love them. Thanks for posting and looking forward to the next ones.

[@marcosandreorlando2011]

Best Muai Thai channel

[@mickmack8999]

I’m a new subscriber , love the kick tuition and workout vids , also great commentary 👍👍👍

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Welcome Mick! Thanks so much and glad to have you join. I'll have plenty of new videos coming soon.

[@harryhalfmoon]

Just discovered your channel and enjoying it. I like your open, down to earth style and the subjects are very educational. Cheers!

[@burningknuckle26]

2 legends. classic battle

[@jon46871]

Both was great fighters..But in the 2nd fight I heard k1 changed clinching rules which affected Buakaw

[@omarmo2nes963]

thank you man for making those breakdown, looking forward for more.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Glad you like them!

[@stevenwang3396]

Love this series

[@sugarray9565]

These videos are so useful, thankyou👍🙏 I'm hoping to take up MMA when the lockdown ends if it ever does, been boxing for 2yrs now, hoping to start wrestling and kickboxing this year. Again thanks🙏

[@yosigam]

Awesome breakdown. Cheers from israel

[@shadyeskimo]

You forgot to mention the rulechange, that K-1 introduced after the 2004 massacre of Masato. They took away the clinch.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Yes. That was a disappointing rule change and definitely affected Buakaw.

[@shadyeskimo]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Fortunately it forced Buakaw to get better with his boxing, and that led to his 2006 revenge K-1 Final win against Souvwer, who he lost to the year before, clearly because his boxing wasnt up to parr against Souvwers awesome hands.

[@yankeesrule215]

Hey Gabiel I love your channel and it’s helping me improve so much. I have a amateur kickboxing fight in two weeks i would love to have a chance to talk to you! i love your style and watching your fights.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

You can always book a zoom call here gabrielvarga.as.me/schedule.php

[@Juel92]

It's very true that a downside of the tournament format is that it's not always the best fighter who wins. I remember seeing K-1 2010 and Aerts was way more worn out by the last match than Alistair especially due to having fought Semmy who just seems like an absolute pain in the ass to fight and just simply exhausting. Probably didn't hurt Alistair having a metric ton of bullshark testosterone running through his veins but that's another matter.

[@Honestandtruth007]

Hello Sensei, Which One you prefer to Face in the Ring with BUAKAW or. MASAtO ???

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Oh boy 🤔 If we were at the same weight and I was looking for the easier fight for me of the two I'd probably pick Buakaw. That's just for me. Masato is very good a counter shots and almost impossible to knock down. Although Buakaw also has a granite chin. I'd probably stick with Buakaw but that's so hard to decide. At 155lbs they'd both beat me up. I'm underweight for those guys.

[@Honestandtruth007]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Thank you For your Honesty, Sensei. Them Both are the Best of the Best.... So you know Kickboxing was Originated between Thailand and Kun Khmer in around 1960 before I was born. Thailand was Always Beat Khmer fighters most of times due to their hard Training and bigger Opponents. We Khmer falled behind due to Warfare for many years past.... No way we Khmer can keep up with Thailand Muay Thai fighters.... Just looked at Sok Thy vs. Lersilla match....in One Championship.

[@bunmeng007]

Trying to outbox Masato is a bad game plan. Should have just kept the distance. Both of them are legends though. A great rivalry

[@henrikeriksson9234]

I seem to notice a pattern with Buakaw that he’s open for the uppercut. If he notice that someone is using it, he generally resorts to teeps to keep the distance. He didn’t do that in this fight, which was odd IMO.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I think the difference is just that Masato is better than most other fighters. Usually he can make changes but he's a bit better than them so it's easier. Probably a harder undertaking against someone of Masato's calibre who's skills are right there with Buakaws.

[@albertsimion4429]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial no brother buakaw is a bit better but k1 did lots of rule changes that did no good with buakaw clinch and kick style also it kinda looks like buakaw wanted to show he can box with masato he should’ve keep his style and not box that much than would be just like first fight

[@dinomra7771]

Rico Verhoeven next please!

[@sonferjef]

I think it was a setup for Buakaw not to kick much. Let the pride of Japan win and Buakaw would get invited again. Just a theory.

[@papillonqui6017]

pls do more breakdowns of muay thai fights. U could do some other fighters with much different styles like samart.

[@patricknewcombe3407]

0:49 1:13 1:29 4:57 7:22 10:16 14:48 potential

[@goronsaki2174]

K1 changed the rules before fight

[@_lucky.roo_]

Awesome 🔥⚡

[@ianfong1000]

Buakaw got lured into a boxing match... Great fight

[@DeadHix]

I believe after 2004, K1 make many rule changes that prevent Buakaw from clinching and going berserk like in 2004.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I'd say that's completely correct. Otherwise the timing would be uncanny. With full clinch Buakaw definitely could have been a 3-4 time champ.

[@ianedwards3482]

Hi Gabriel, I just came upon your channel, recognised your name from seeing the Kevin Ross fight. Thanks for uploading your analysis I'm really looking forward to your insights, it's a great opportunity to learn. Respect to you champ 👍💪

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

My pleasure! I'll have lots more content and fight analysis coming soon.

[@ianedwards3482]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial great, I have really enjoyed the breakdowns I have seen so far. I'd love your thoughts on Petrosyan if you take requests 👍

[@godsofwar1186]

"There is a chance Buakaw won that round for sure." 😁😂👌

[@aphr0dite2007]

At the time, Japan was desperate to create a K1 champion called Masato. Buakaw was a real samurai who never complained about the rule changes and only showed his strength. I also like Masato because he is Japanese, but Buakaw would certainly have been the champion if there had not been a rule change that disadvantaged Muay Thai.

[@Msj23244]

More breakdowns plzz!!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

You got it.

[@AroundElvesWatchUrselves96]

Masato's boxing 👀

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

It's pretty awesome. His hands drift a bit low for my liking but he's so good at taking shots he hardly ever got punished for it.

[@jamielondon6436]

I had no idea TIE fighters were so vulnerable to uppercuts … but it makes sense with those stiff wings. ;-)

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Definitely not all of them but Masato had a lot of success defeating Thai fighters with them. He knocked a very good thai out in the 2003 semi finals with an uppercut.

[@jamielondon6436]

It was a joke (fractalsponge.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tf21.jpg), but thanks for the reply, of course! You are marvellously polite, capable, and informative! :-)

[@aryawidya5149]

Wow Masato only used punches, very rarely kicking

[@weabooheaven239]

Somewhere in his career, I think buakaw tried to work on his boxing and relied on it more. which in my opinion strayed him from his usual style.

[@c2ironfist]

The rematch was under a different rule as well which benefited Masato as a puncher I believe if the rematch was under the same rules I think it would have been the same with Baukaw capitalizing with his clinch and knees K-1 evolved so much since 2004

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

You are definitely right about that. The rule changed 100% benefits Masato. I wish they would have left clinch in.

[@shhinobii]

Rules are rules and they're the same for everyone. Despite how much I like Baukaw he underperformed in this match. His boxing skills were atrocious and we all know he's better than that. Wide open stance, no head movement, poor selection of punches...he ate every single Massato's jab like a beginner. I hate to say it but he was overconfident and he paid the price for it.

[@4amwaj]

aweosme

[@sociallypatterneddefect9580]

Awsome

[@hannielg.4514]

Buakaw wanted to prove he could boxe too because westerners was trash talking his kicking/clinch style this is the only reason why buakaw lost the second .

[@trujilloroldancarlosarturo4281]

I would prefer Thai style, u cant avoid low kicks AND clinching with boxing style unless u have a very good close boxing as mexican boxers but u cant stop kness AND elbows

[@lucasmacedo7145]

that looked like it wouldve wobbled buakaw even if he wasnt on one leg 🧐🧐🧐

[@mmareviewer.2372]

Buakaw was just too good and dedicated... those tournaments are horrible on the majority of it's participants though it does boost up the record fast... but also in a way you can't control if your body is gone from the fight before.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

For sure. In the final I feel like the winner is most likely going to be the one who took less damage. That's not 100% of course but it's a massive advantage.

[@mmareviewer.2372]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Indeed.

[@punchpunchpass9735]

It's me or fighters from our Era are way bigger at 155 than buakaw and Masato?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

For sure. I think Buakaw only cut 5-10lbs. Masato probably 10-15. But guys now are cutting from 180-185 to 155lbs. It's crazy.

[@punchpunchpass9735]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial I remembered met buakaw and he has small frame. I remembered watching K1 max he was 67 68kg so he didn't cut I guess. Masato was bigger I think

[@punchpunchpass9735]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial I need an advice from you. I'm 5'11 or 6 and crusing 160 I use to fight at 155 but I would try maybe 147 or below. What do you think. Is it useful?

[@Philip-dy3ww]

Do we have tournaments threes days? UFC fighters have months to prepare one fight that lasted for seconds…. So soft

[@Scrappy1451]

the issue with this fight is 1; it was close enough to warrant and extra round which it didn't get. and 2; that "knockdown" from masato was because buakaw was off balance , which fine.. if off balance knock downs count, then why didn't it count when zambidis did the same to masato in 03 (could be wrong on the year) or when zambidis knocked down petro when he was on one leg in 2010 ? as well as many other. if that wasn't the japanese poster boy masato fighting in his home country .. that very well might not have ruled a knockdown and might have gone the extra round

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

There is many inconsistencies in K-1. No doubt. Masato was given some special treatment more than a couple times. But he's still an amazing fighter.

[@Deimian676]

I’m going to be honest, this was a bad fight for buakaw in terms of strategy. I thought masato avoided buakaw and Giorgio petrosyan in 2009 . He shouldn’t have gone after Andy Souwer. He should have broken the tie with buakaw.

[@wnd9434]

I know even if both is fresh, the first fight buakaw will win anyway but to be fair, Masato right eye swelling as a result of before fight. So his face is already messed up.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I'd agree Buakaw was looking unstoppable in the 2004 MAX final. I don't think Masato wins even if he was less exhausted and beat up.

[@kevinthomas7259]

Masato def won that fight, he only lost 10-9 i think round 2

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I can see it. He was landing some hard punches at the end of rd 3.

[@kevinthomas7259]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial great breakdown, buakaw is my favorite fighter of all time, but there are fights where buakaw is def robbed wins

[@axlkaizen6120]

This deserves way more views

[@JWMCMLXXX]

Boo-uh-kow ;P