About Musashi (kickboxer)
Akio Mori (森 昭生, Mori Akio; born October 17, 1972), better known by the ring name Musashi (武蔵), is a Japanese former professional karateka and kickboxer. He is a four-time K-1 Japan tournament champion, a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two-time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist. Following a 14-year career, he announced his retirement at a press conference in Tokyo on August 26, 2009. He holds notable wins over Ray Sefo, Peter Aerts, Masaaki Satake and Rick Roufus. == Early life and career == Mori was born in Sakai, Osaka, Japan. After he started practicing Seidokaikan karate, he took his ring name from the famous samurai Musashi Miyamoto, as his kicking techniques were said to resemble the latter's sword-slashing moves. Musashi took part in international karate competition, and this eventually overlapped with his kickboxing career. In 1995, he earned 4th place at the Seidokaikan Karate World Cup. == K-1 == Musashi made his entrance into kickboxing and K-1 debut with an impressive knockout victory over fellow karate competitor Patrick Smith in 1995. Despite this initial splash, his first three years with the organization were mostly marked by loss, and he emerged from 1998 with a K-1 record of 4-8-1 (1).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.