Kleber Koike Erbst (34-8-2) is a former RIZIN Featherweight titleholder who lost his championship belt in May. Fast-forward to July 27, and his road to reclaiming the title begins. The first obstacle on that road comes in the form of Mikuru Asakura (18-5-1).
Based on Super Rizin 4 odds, Kleber Koike is likely to win, but we don’t think Asakura should be underestimated. He’s a well-rounded fighter who’s tough as nails. That said, he did lose to this guy once already. Four years ago, Koike beat him with his strongest weapon – submission. Can he do the same again?
Kleber Koike vs. Mikuru Asakura Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kleber Koike | -265 |
| Mikuru Asakura | +180 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan
- Date: Sunday, July 27, 2025
- Time: 1:00 a.m. ET
- How to Watch: PPV (RIZIN)
Reasons Why Super Rizin 4 Odds Favor Kleber Koike
It’s safe to say that Kleber Koike Erbst is a RIZIN legend. The 35-year-old Brazilian-born fighter started his professional MMA career in 2008 in a Japanese promotion called Deep.
After switching between several organizations, he signed a contract with RIZIN Rizin in 2020 and is 9-3-1 since. He even held the RIZIN Featherweight title on two occasions. The first time around, he won it after going undefeated for six fights. This run even saw him beat his Super Rizin 4 opponent, Mikuru Asakura.
However, he was then stripped of the belt after missing weight in a title fight (despite winning). His second reign started last New Year’s Eve when he beat Japanese kickboxing legend Chihiro Suzuki. However, five months later, he lost the title to Razhabali Shaydullaev, who knocked him out in Round 1.
Being such a big name in RIZIN, Kleber Koike is likely to get another title shot soon, but for that to happen, he needs to beat Mikuru Asakura this coming weekend. The good news for the former champ is that his grappling and wrestling skills are superior to those of Asakura. However, he’s nowhere near as good as him when striking is concerned.
Can Mikuru Asakura Out-Strike Kleber Koike?
Kleber Koike is one of the best – if not the very best one – grapplers in RIZIN. He’s a 2nd-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with 29 of his 34 MMA wins happening by submission.
Striking, however, isn’t his forte. Mikuru Asakura, on the other hand, is a very prolific striker. In fact, he’s so good that he even tied himself in boxing, fighting legendary Floyd Mayweather. He dipped his toes in pro kickboxing as well, fighting Japanese legend YA-MAN.
Asakura lost both of those bouts by KO/TKO but bounced back straight away. In fact, he even bounced back after suffering his (so far) only KO loss in MMA. Ren Hiramoto KO-ed him in the summer of 2024, but he came back with a TKO win over Chihiro Suzuki in May 2025.