RIZIN’s best will face Bellator’s best on New Year’s Eve when both promotions fight for the ultimate bragging rights. The card features one of the top fighters in Kleber Koike Erbst.
Erbst, the current RIZIN featherweight champion, faces Bellator featherweight champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire in a non-title bout. The fight takes place inside Japan's Saitama Super Arena.
“Thank you very much for this opportunity. Thank you BELLATOR for giving me the chance to fight such a performance. I’m a little nervous right now, but I will promise to put on a good fight and not disappoint you all. I’ll do everything I can to put on a good fight. RIZIN fans, I appreciate your support,” Ernst stated.
At 33, Erbst can put the MMA world on notice. He has come a long way since his debut in 2008. The Sporting News looks into Freire’s opponent and how Erbst went from a curious beginner to a top RIZIN star.
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Kleber Koike Erbst record, bio
The 33-year-old Brazilian moved to Japan with his family at 14. At 18, he stayed when his parents returned to Brazil. Focusing on getting into the fight game, Erbst supported himself by working odd jobs.
“I’d work doing security, I’d do construction work, whatever was available,” Erbst told MMA Junkie in 2018. “I cleaned beaches to make money, I picked up trash, everything they told me to do to make money to compete. If I knew there was a competition in two weeks, I’d ask for a job to make some money. And that’s what I used to pay for my sign-up fees.
“Today, my family, even friends who’ve followed it from the start, they say I was very stubborn to insist on my dream. Because many would have given up already.”
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Making his pro debut in 2008, Erbst competed for promotions like DEEP, Heat, and Rings. He got a big break in 2015 when he competed in Poland for KSW. Erbst returned to KSW that year and lost to Artur Sowinski for the vacant KSW featherweight title.
While that ended his 14-fight unbeaten streak, Erbst did not give up. Erbst won six in a row, including a unanimous decision win over Marcin Wrzosek in 2017 for the KSW featherweight title. Erbst was later stripped of the belt when he missed weight in his next fight against Artur Sowinski, which he won.
After losing to Mateusz Gamrot in 2018, Erbst has won seven straight fights, including five in RIZIN. In October, he beat Juntarou Ushiku via submission for the RIZIN featherweight title.
When is Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN?
- Date: Saturday, December 31 | January 1
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT | 10 a.m. JST
Bellator and RIZIN will be teaming up on New Year’s Eve. The event begins around 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT | 10 a.m. JST.
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How to watch Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States/Canada | Sat. December 31 | Showtime |
| United Kingdom | Sun. January 1 | BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer, FITE.tv |
| Australia | Sun. January 1 | FITE.tv |
| Japan | Sun. January 1 | RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, SKY PerfecTV! |
Fight fans can watch the event on SHOWTIME.
Viewers can stream Showtime via Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox ONE, a laptop, or any mobile or tablet device.
In Japan, the fight card will be available on RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, and SKY PerfecTV!
