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.
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 two Champions touch ’em up ad we are underway!
[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/9BYVagZf4r
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022
The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 9 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.
Using his reach advantage EVERYWHERE. @KoikeKleber
[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/d03SYPRpVP
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022
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.
Both fighters were confident they got the win…
[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/sCwOQfAzd4
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022
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:
- Patricio Freire def. Kleber Koike Erbst via unanimous decision
- Kyoji Horiguchi def. Hiromasa Ougikubo via unanimous decision
- Juan Archuleta def. Soo Chul Kim via split decision
- Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Koji Takeda via unanimous decision
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.
