Tag: Kleber Koike Erbst

Patricio Freire claims Kleber Koike invaded locker room, attacked brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2

Patricio Freire says former rival Kleber Koike attacked his brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2.

It seems [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] and the “Pitbull” brothers got into an altercation at Bellator x Rizin 2 in Japan.

According to [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], Koike argued with his brother, [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag], after Patricky defeated Koike’s teammate, Roberto de Souza, by TKO at Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Patricio alleged Koike also celebrated Patricio’s shocking KO loss to Chihiro Suzuki, then after the event, Koike invaded their locker room to kick Patricky from behind and run off.

Patricio and Koike have history. The two fought at the first Bellator x Rizin event back this past December in a non-title bout. Patricio defeated his fellow Brazilian by unanimous decision. That’s his most recent victory. He now has back-to-back defeats for the first time in his MMA career.

Patricio entered Bellator x Rizin 2 off a decision loss to Sergio Pettis in an attempt to capture the bantamweight title and become the first three-division Bellator champion. The 36-year-old made no excuses for his first-round KO defeat to Suzuki and made it clear he’ll bounce back.

You can watch Patricio’s KO loss in the video below:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030791]

Patricio Freire def. Kleber Koike at Rizin FF vs. Bellator: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Patricio Freire’s unanimous decision win over Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator from Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator from Saitama Super Arena in Japan. (Photos by Rizin FF)

Rizin FF vs. Bellator results: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ shuts down Kleber Koike in champion-vs-champion bout

Patricio Freire got the better of Kleber Koike Erbst in the lone champion-vs-champion matchup on Saturday at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] got the better of [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] in the lone champion-vs-champion matchup on Saturday at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

In the co-main event of the special fight card which pitted the two organization’s best against one another, Bellator featherweight champ Freire (35-5) managed to outwork Rizin FF titleholder Koike (31-6-1) by unanimous decision after a methodical game plan of avoiding takedowns and putting in work on the feet.

The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 8 p.m. ET.

Freire opened the fight by putting forward pressure on his opponent, and Koike tried to keep him at bay with a high output of kicks to the leg, body and head. Koike tried to get it to the ground by pulling guard and chasing his opponent, but Freire was wise to it and avoided the danger. The Brazilian stayed patient on the feet, but was effective when he did throw.

The paced slowed significantly in the second round, especially from Koike. Freire fell into a striking groove, landing a number of hard punches with both hands to cause some swelling around his opponent’s eye. Koike couldn’t do much to get to the ground, and although he tried to stay in it on the feet, he struggled to hurt Freire.

Early in the final round, Koike tried to pull guard and get it to the mat. Freire shut it down, however, and instead stood up and choose to throw kicks at the legs of his downed opponent over and over. When referee Jason Herzog finally stood it up, Koike pounced on another takedown and was successful. He got overly aggressive, however, and Freire scrambled to his feet. Freire responded with a takedown of his own, but didn’t stay on the mat for long before the fight ended.

With the victory, “Pitbull” made it 4-0 for Team Bellator in head-to-head matchups at the event, joining Kyoji Horiguchi, Juan Archuleta and Gadzhi Rabadanov in the winner’s circle. He’s now won 10 of his past 11 fights overall dating back to April 2017.

“He was a very tough opponent, it was a very hard fight,” Freire said in his post-fight interview. “I’m very proud to be standing here in the legendary Saitama Super Arena. My opponent is a very strong fighter, he’s worthy of being a champion.”

Official Rizin vs. Bellator results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

[vertical-gallery id=2607756]

[vertical-gallery id=2607639]

Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator weigh-in results: Promotion vs. promotion fights official

Check out the results from the official Rizin FF 40 weigh-ins, which features fight Rizin vs. Bellator cross-promotional fights.

The stage is set for the final major MMA event of 2022 after official weigh-ins for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator went down Thursday night in Japan.

With five promotion vs. promotion fights set for the main card, which airs on Showtime via tape-delay on Saturday from Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo, all the notable athletes successfully made weight.

In the main event, Rizin FF lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (14-1) will welcome former Bellator featherweight titleholder [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (19-1) to his turf in a compelling matchup. The co-headliner wills see current Bellator featherweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-5) take on Rizin FF’s [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] (31-5-1).

Check out the complete main card weigh-in results below:

  • A.J. McKee (154.7) vs. Roberto de Souza (156)
  • Kleber Koike Erbst (145.2) vs. Patricio Freire (145)
  • [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (124.8) vs. [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] (125.4)
  • [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (134) vs. [autotag]Soo Chul Kim[/autotag] (133.8)
  • [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] (155.9) vs. [autotag]Koji Takeda[/autotag] (156)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

Video: Does Rizin vs. Bellator show that MMA needs more cross-promoting?

Bellator and RIZIN are going head-to-head on New Year’s Eve. Could MMA use more cross-promotion?

Bellator and RIZIN are advertised as adversaries for their upcoming Dec. 31 event. But are they really?

In a move rare among major MMA promotions, the two organizations have agreed to a co-promotion that will feature five head-to-head main card matchups featuring Bellator and RIZIN fighters competing against one another.

Champions from both organizations are on the marquee, including a headlining bout between [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] and [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], as well as a co-main event between [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag].

This move is unusual, but what does it mean to the viewers and the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole? Could MMA use more cross-promoting or is its interest and viability overrated?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia give their reactions to the event with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

[vertical-gallery id=2591602]

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 24-30)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Oct. 24-30.

Rizin FF 27: Ayaka Hamasaki edges split-decision verdict to retain super atomweight title in Nagoya

Super atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki held on to her title by the slimmest of margins after earning a split-decision win at Rizin FF 27.

[autotag]Ayaka Hamasaki[/autotag] was pushed to the limit in her rematch against [autotag]Kanna Asakura[/autotag], but did just enough to earn the split-decision verdict from the ringside judges as she retained her Rizin FF super atomweight title by the slimmest of margins in Nagoya, Japan.

Hamasaki’s title bout with Asakura was the main event of Rizin FF 27, and saw the champion hang on to title after a grueling three round battle at Nippongaishi Hall.

After the fight was paused in the opening seconds for an accidental low blow, the action resumed with both women engaging in a wild exchange that eventually saw the action move to the canvas, with the champion on top.

Hamasaki (22-3) landed a pair of powerful knees to her downed opponent, but Asakura (18-5) showed her grit by battling to her feet, before picking up the champion and slamming her powerfully into the canvas.

Round 2 saw Asakura push the pace as she forced Hamasaki onto her back and set to work from the champion’s guard. But Hamasaki defended well and threatened with an armbar off her back before eventually escaping and returning to her feet. Asakura wouldn’t be denied, however, and after taking Hamasaki to the mat again, the challenger moved into mount and rained down a salvo of strikes as the bell sounded to save the champion from a TKO defeat.

After a cagey start to the final round, Asakura landed a takedown and pushed for a finish, but Hamasaki had successes of her own through the final stanza, as she attempted to snatch a final-round submission from the challenger with a standing armbar in the corner.

Neither athlete could make the crucial breakthrough, however, as the bout went to the judges, with Hamasaki hanging on to her title via split decision.