Scouting Report: Kleber Koike Erbst

Kleber Koike Erbst

Born: October 16, 1989 (Age: 33) in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Division: Featherweight
Height: 5’10”
Reach: 70.5”
Record: 31-5-1
Association: Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Erbst at first glance shares a lot of similarities with teammate Roberto Satoshi de Souza. Both are Rizin Fighting Federation champions who were born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with mixed Brazilian and Japanese heritage, and they feature some of the most fantastic Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills in MMA. However, while Satoshi de Souza has rounded out his repertoire with solid striking and wrestling, Erbst remains quite limited in those areas. His boxing is flawed and weak, and even his kicks are poor relative to his contemporaries. He struggles to secure takedowns and looks vulnerable to those of his opponents, needing to rely on hook or crook in order to get his outstanding submission game going. On the plus side, Erbst features stout defense, making it difficult to hurt him even if he fails to land much offense of his own. He also has good cardio and has proven to be exceptionally clever—able to find submissions while minimizing his flaws.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Below average.
• Jab: Telegraphed and slow in the rare instances where he uses it.
• Cross: Not well-disguised. He actually falls into the punch.
• Left Hook: A wild, wide, stiff punch with numerous technical errors, including a flawed arc and faulty rotation.
• Right Hook: Weak and floppy.
• Overhand Right: His best strike by far. While it is a little telegraphed and slow, it is technically solid—far more so than any of his other punches—and has some power. Erbst dropped Kyle Aguon with it.
• Uppercuts: Does not throw them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: He can throw punches in bunches. However, they are heavily telegraphed, and he reaches badly, just begging to be countered.
• Favorite Combinations: Bizarrely, a two-one. It is not effective and leaves him ripe for counters.
• Leg Kicks: While quick, they are easy to identify and weak. He does not properly turn his hips into them.
• Body Kicks: Rarely throws them.
• Head Kicks: Slow, comically telegraphed and lack proper flexibility. Erbst cannot even connect on the strike effectively when given a golden opportunity, as was the case against Kazumasa Majima.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Surprisingly yes, though not to great effect.

Offensively, Erbst’s striking can only be described as substandard. His hooks and straight punches are all quite poor, as are all his kicks. The lone bright spot is a decent overhand right, by far his best strike and the only effective one in his arsenal. While it suffers from being a little telegraphed and slow like the rest of his punches, it is at least technical and has power. His kicks are unusually bad for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, with even those aimed at the legs being light and badly telegraphed. Erbst has solid defense, which includes neatly turning the corner on his retreats, moving his head well and blocking with his arms. Even if his own offense offers little concern for opponents, it is not easy to hit him. However, he tends to reach with multiple punches when he comes forward, making him vulnerable to counters.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: While serviceable, he can get bullied by more powerful fighters.
• Technique: Allows himself to get off-balance.
• Knees: Throws them to the body occasionally.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Excels in this area, due to the fact that he is always active with his grappling.

Erbst is limited in the clinch. He can absolutely be taken down by better, stronger wrestlers and features little offense of his own.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Almost never does so.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Lacks some strength and technique. Did briefly hit a harai goshi against Majima, but he could not stay on top.
• Takedown Defense: Average. Erbst was taken down three times by Majima: once on an inside trip in the clinch, once from a double-leg shot and once in response to his throwing a knee.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Depends on the situation. Immediately after the takedown, Erbst has proven quite good at posting up and getting back to an upright position. However, if he fails to do so, he can be locked on the bottom for a while.
• Submissions: Exceptionally technical and varied, with an insane squeeze. He can get the tap even when he does not appear to be in the ideal position.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Good overall but a mixed bag in some respects. He has been vulnerable to ground-and-pound, as he does not control the biceps but tries to set up submissions. Erbst does feature a dangerous triangle from his back. While it is technical and tight, with a hellacious squeeze, the maneuver is not especially fast, unlike Satoshi de Souza.
• Top Control: Stout. Opponents trying to get up quickly leave themselves open to his submissions, particularly the rear-naked choke.
• Ground-and-Pound: Difficult to say, as he focuses so much of his attention on attacking with submissions.

Erbst features fantastic Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including one of the strongest squeezes in the sport. He can nail down submissions in a variety of ways, as he excels at finishing anaconda, triangle and rear-naked chokes. However, getting opponents in position for those attacks is much trickier, as he struggles to secure takedowns, event against opponents with subpar grappling. Erbst can also be taken down himself, either in the clinch or from a shot. While he can work for submissions from his back, they lack suddenness despite their technique and power. He often neglects the biceps in pursuit of submissions, making him vulnerable to ground-and-pound. On top, he offers strong control and makes opponents pay for trying to get to their feet too quickly.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Varies depending on the situation. He shows insane power with his squeeze on submissions but not necessarily when grappling in the clinch. Fairly average athlete in other regards.
• Cardio: Adheres to a high-energy fighting style with constant grappling and submission attempts, yet still carries plenty of energy well into fights, barely slowing down at all.
• Chin: Has not been hit with a flush shot from a big puncher.
• Recuperative Powers: Unknown.
• Intelligence: His significant limitations as a fighter require tremendous smarts to make it all work. Erbst must find opportunities to get his world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu going, as he cannot rely on takedowns.