Koichiro Matsumoto is a DEEP veteran and one of the more promising featherweight prospects currently on the Japanese scene. Starting his career all the way welterweight before dropping to 145 pounds, size is definitely not an issue for Matsumoto in the division. A finalist in DEEP's 2009 Lightweight Tournament (where he was knocked out by Katsunori Kikuno), Matsumoto is a talented fighter who shows the talent to develop into a quality featherweight fighter for years to come.

An exciting striker, Matsumoto is very comfortable and relaxed on his feet. He's good at changing angles, will playfully taunt his opponents and has shown respectable power in his striking. Matsumoto does well to mix up his leg kicks and punches, and shows good composure in keeping calm and not rushing anything on his feet. Matsumoto maintains distance well and prefers to work from the outside where he can utilize his kicks and reach. An intelligent fighter, Matsumoto will continue going to what's working for him in the bout instead of stubbornly trying to force the issue with something that isn't. He shows good hand and is armed with a nice uppercut, a solid left hook and a powerful right hand (cross, hook, and uppercut). Often times Matsumoto will lead with his hooks or uppercuts (as opposed to the jab), doing so effectively, and he's shown the ability to work his combinations to the head and body of his opponents. Matsumoto will need to focus on his defense as he tends to leave himself open to punches and leg kicks, and he doesn't always cover up or guard against strikes well. Most effective when he's setting the pace of the bout, Matsumoto has encountered difficulty when matched against aggressive strikers who aren't afraid of pressing and pursuing Matsumoto on their feet (see bout with Kikuno). Koichiro doesn't like working from in close where he'll look to simply latch on, push off, and reset, and his clinch game and counter striking games will require improvement.

Although Matsumoto prefers to keep the fight standing, he will try and take his opponent to the ground to slow the pace of the match if he's put under pressure. Matsumoto isn't very active on the ground, but he does stay very tight to his opponents and controls them well. If he senses his opponent's in danger, Matsumoto will open up with an aggressive ground and pound attack but he isn't known for his finishing abilities on the ground. His submission and BJJ games play little to no role in the offensive makeup of his MMA game and his guard games and technical skills will require improvement.