Kleber Koike Erbst

is a Brazilian-born Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is the former two-time Rizin Featherweight Champion. He has also competed in Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), where is the former KSW Featherweight Champion.

Background Born in São Paulo, Brazil, to a Brazilian father of German, Portuguese and Japanese descent and a Japanese mother, Kleber lived in Brazil in his teenage years, until financial troubles led his parents to move to Japan. Erbst initially stayed in Brazil with relatives, but at the age of 14, joined them in Japan. Initially intending to help his parents and return to Brazil, but once he met jiu-jitsu, he decided to stay in Japan. When financial crisis hit Japan, his parents decided to move back to Brazil, leaving behind an 18 years old Erbst who wanted to stay. To finance his fighting career, Erbst took odd jobs such as construction, trash collection, etc. to pay for the sign-up fees.

Mixed martial arts career Bonsai Jiu-jitsu club competitor, submission specialist. His favorite technique is Triangle choke. A holder of a black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the city of Iwata. In 2008–2014 he fought mainly at Japanese galas DEEP and Rings, beating at that time, among others of the former Shooto champion of Hideki Kadowaka.

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki At the KSW 30: Genesis defeated Anzor Azhiev by triangle choke in the 1st round. He was also awarded the Submission of the Night bonus award.

After a successful debut for the KSW, he took part in a featherweight tournament organized by the Chinese federation Rebel FC, which won and became a champion, defeating the American Miguel Torres.

At KSW 33: Materla vs. Khalidov, which took place on November 28, 2015, fought a duel with Artur Sowiński for the inaugural KSW Featherweight Championship, eventually losing by the judges' decision. Both were awarded the Fight of the Night bonus award.

After another stint returning to Asia, picking two third round submission wins at Pancrase 277 and Rebel FC 4, Kleber returned to KSW, facing Leszek Krakowski on October 1, 2016, at KSW 36. He won the bout via triangle choke in the first round. He was awarded the Submission of the Night bonus award.

Featherweight championship and loss of the title On May 27, 2017, at the KSW 39 held at the Stadion Narodowy, he won the KSW Featherweight Championship, defeating then featherweight champion Marcin Wrzosek via unanimous decision.

Kleber was to defend his title against Artur Sowiński at KSW 41 on December 23, 2017. However, after missing weight, Erbst was stripped of the belt, meaning only Sowiński was eligible for the title. Erbst won the bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.

Kleber was scheduled to rematch Marcin Wrzosek for the vacant featherweight title on June 9, 2018, at KSW 44. However Wrzosek suffered a pectoral muscle tear and was forced out of the rematch. As a result, Marian Ziółkowski stepped in against Erbst in a catchweight fight. Erbst won the bout via armbar in the first round. He was awarded the Submission of the Month bonus award.

Kleber faced Mateusz Gamrot on December 1, 2018, at KSW 46: Narkun vs. Khalidov 2. He lost the bout via a unanimous decision.

Rizin Fighting Federation After a first round submission win at ONE Japan Series against Akiyo Nishiura, Kleber made his Rizin debut on December 31, 2020, at during Rizin 26 against Kyle Aguon He won the bout via brabo choke in the first round.

Kleber faced Kazumasa Majima at Rizin 27 on March 21, 2021. He won via triangle choke in the second round.

Kleber faced Mikuru Asakura at Rizin 28. He won the bout after choking Mikuru unconscious via triangle choke.

Kleber headlined Rizin Trigger 2 on February 23, 2022, against Ulka Sasaki. After overcoming a knockdown in the first round, Kleber submitted Sasaki in the second round via rear-naked choke.

Kleber faced Kyohei Hagiwara on May 5, 2022, in the main event of Rizin Landmark 3. He won the bout in the first round with a face crank.

Rizin FF Featherweight championship On October 23, 2022, Kleber faced reigning champion Juntaro Ushiku for the Rizin Featherweight Championship at Rizin 39. taking control in the first round with a tackle takedown, and in the second round, he threw him down with a hip throw and set up a triangle choke to win by triangle choke to win the title.

Kleber faced reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Patrício Pitbull in a non-title bout at Bellator MMA vs. Rizin on December 31, 2022. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Rizin title stripped Kleber was set to make his first title defense against Chihiro Suzuki on June 24, 2023, at Rizin 43. At the weigh-ins, Kleber weighed in at 145.88 pounds, 0.88 pounds over the divisional title limit. As a result, upon commencement of the fight, Kleber was officially stripped of the championship, and only Suzuki is eligible to win the title. Although Kleber submitted Suzuki via triangle choke at the 2:59 minute mark of the opening round, the fight result was immediately overturned into a no-contest, due to Kleber's weight miss.

Koike Erbst faced Masanori Kanehara at Rizin 44 on September 24, 2023. He lost the bout via unanimous decision, having his BJJ skills be nullified by Kanehara's wrestling acumen.

Koike Erbst faced Yutaka Saito on December 31, 2023, at Rizin 45, and won the bout via brabo choke in the third round.

Koike Erbst next faced former Bellator and Rizin Bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta at Rizin 47 on June 9, 2024. He won the fight via an inverted heel hook submission in the first round.

Regaining Rizin FF Featherweight championship Koike Erbst faced Chihiro Suzuki in a rematch for the Rizin Featherweight Championship at Rizin 49 on December 31, 2024. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Koike Erbst faced Razhabali Shaydullaev for the Rizin featherweight title on May 4, 2025, at Rizin: Otoko Matsuri. He lost the title by knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Featherweight Championship (Two times) Most submission wins in Rizin FF history (seven) Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki KSW Featherweight Championship (One time; former) Submission of the Night (three times) MMA Fighting 2022 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Kyoma Akimoto Decision (unanimous) Rizin 54

Tokyo, Japan Win

Vugar Karamov Decision (unanimous) Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri

Saitama, Japan Loss

Mikuru Asakura Decision (split) Super Rizin 4

Saitama, Japan Loss

Razhabali Shaydullaev KO (punches) Rizin: Otoko Matsuri

Tokyo, Japan Win

Chihiro Suzuki Decision (unanimous) Rizin 49

Saitama, Japan Win

Juan Archuleta Submission (inverted heel hook) Rizin 47

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yutaka Saito Technical Submission (brabo choke) Rizin 45

Saitama, Japan Loss

Masanori Kanehara Decision (unanimous) Rizin 44

Saitama, Japan NC

Chihiro Suzuki NC (missed weight) Rizin 43

Sapporo, Japan Loss

Patrício Pitbull Decision (unanimous) Bellator MMA vs. Rizin

Saitama, Japan Win

Juntaro Ushiku Submission (triangle choke) Rizin 39

Fukuoka, Japan Win

Kyohei Hagiwara Submission (face crank) Rizin Landmark 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ulka Sasaki Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin Trigger 2

Fukuroi, Japan Win

Mikuru Asakura Technical Submission (triangle choke) Rizin 28

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kazumasa Majima Submission (triangle choke) Rizin 27

Nagoya, Japan Win

Kyle Aguon Technical Submission (brabo choke) Rizin 26

Saitama, Japan Win

Akiyo Nishiura Submission (brabo choke) ONE Japan Series: Road to Century

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Mateusz Gamrot Decision (unanimous) KSW 46: Narkun vs. Khalidov 2

Gliwice, Poland Win

Marian Ziółkowski Submission (armbar) KSW 44: The Game

Gdańsk, Poland Win

Artur Sowiński Submission (rear-naked choke) KSW 41: Mankowski vs. Soldic

Katowice, Poland Win

Marcin Wrzosek Decision (unanimous) KSW 39: Colosseum

Warsaw, Poland Win

Leszek Krakowski Submission (triangle choke) KSW 36: Materla vs. Palhares

Zielona Góra, Poland Win

George Hickman Submission (triangle choke) Rebel FC 4: Battle Royale Ascension

Qingdao, China Win

Yusuke Yachi Submission (rear-naked choke) Pancrase 277

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Artur Sowiński Decision (unanimous) KSW 33: Materla vs. Khalidov

Kraków, Poland Win

Miguel Torres Submission (brabo choke)

Win

Takahiro Ashida Submission (triangle choke)

Win

Anzor Azhiev Submission (triangle choke) KSW 30: Genesis

Poznań, Poland Win

Katsuyoshi Beppu Submission (triangle choke) Deep: Hamamatsu Impact 2014

Hamamatsu, Japan Win

Hideki Kadowaki Submission (rear-naked choke) DEEP: Cage Impact 2013

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yutaka Ueda TKO (punches) Deep: Cage Impact 2013 in Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu, Japan Win

Liu Si Cong Submission (triangle choke) Real Fight MMA Championship 2

Zhengzhou, China Win

Albert Cheng Submission (triangle choke) Real Fight MMA Championship 1

Zhengzhou, China Win

Teppei Hori Submission (triangle choke) Rings: Vol. 2: Conquisito

Tokyo, Japan Win

Atsushi Ueda Submission (armbar) ZST: Battle Hazard 6

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yoshifumi Dogaki Submission (armbar) Heat 23

Kobe, Japan Win

Hidenobu Koike Submission (triangle choke) Deep: Cage Impact 2011 in Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu, Japan Win

Shinichiro Tanaka Submission (triangle choke) Deep: Shizuoka Impact 2011

Shizuoka, Japan Win

Yusuke Hoshiko Decision (unanimous) Heat 16

Osaka, Japan Draw

Mitsuru Yamaguchi Draw (unanimous) Deep: Cage Impact 2010 in Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu, Japan Loss

Toshiaki Kitada Submission (armbar) Deep: 44 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Takashi Fujii KO (head kick) Deep: Hamamatsu Impact

Hamamatsu, Japan Loss

Yoshiro Maeda DQ (knee to groin) Deep: Osaka Impact

Osaka, Japan Loss

Toshikazu Iseno Decision (unanimous) Deep: 42 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yasutomo Katsuki Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Keizo Sakuragi Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Masaki Wada Submission (rear-naked choke) Deep: clubDeep Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu, Japan