Erik Koch
Active 2011–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 77.0
Scouting report
Erik Koch started taekwondo at four and had a black belt by around ten. His brother Keoni, who co-runs Hard Drive MMA in Iowa, helped him begin MMA-style training before he turned 14. He fought out of Roufusport. He won Knockout of the Night in the WEC for a head kick on Francisco Rivera in November 2010, then again in the UFC for a first-round knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128 on March 19, 2011. In 2012 he was twice booked against Jose Aldo for the featherweight title, and neither fight happened.
Peak ratings
Erik Koch: the featherweight who never fought Aldo
Koch dropped out of Washington High School in Cedar Rapids to turn pro. At UFC 128 he replaced the injured Manvel Gamburyan against Assuncao. The first Aldo fight at UFC 149 was postponed when Aldo was injured. By UFC 153, Koch was the one hurt, and Frankie Edgar replaced him. His UFC record was 5-5, and he moved to lightweight in 2014 and welterweight in 2019. A reported UFC release came in December 2020.
Koch, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 80. Assuncao was knocked out with a punch in round one at UFC 128, a Knockout of the Night.
Kickboxing. 84, his best. Rivera was stopped by a head kick and punches in round one at WEC 52, and Daron Cruickshank landed his own head kick on Koch at UFC Fight Night 40.
Wrestling. 72. Chad Mendes won a unanimous decision over him at WEC 47 in March 2010. Ricardo Lamas stopped him with elbows in round two at UFC on Fox 6 in January 2013.
BJJ. 74. Bendy Casimir tapped to a triangle choke in round one at WEC 49 in Edmonton, and Shane Campbell to a rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 88 in May 2016.
Strength. 74. Rafaello Oliveira was stopped by punches in round one at UFC 170 in February 2014, in Koch's move to lightweight.
Durability. 78. Cruickshank stopped him in round one in May 2014, and Lamas had stopped him in round two in January 2013.
Cardio. 82. He beat Jonathan Brookins on a unanimous decision in September 2011 and Kyle Stewart on a unanimous decision at UFC 240 in July 2019.
Fight IQ. 78. He withdrew from at least six scheduled UFC fights with injuries between 2012 and 2017, including bouts with Poirier, Ramsey Nijem, Drew Dober twice and Tony Martin.
Kickboxing at 84 and two Knockout of the Night awards
The head kick on Rivera and the punch on Assuncao both came in the first round, and both won bonuses. Both came when he had room to work. His taekwondo black belt came around the age of ten.
Wrestling at 72 and a long layoff
Mendes and Poirier took decisions from him in 2010 and 2013, and Lamas and Cruickshank stopped him. After the Cruickshank loss in May 2014 he did not fight for two years, returning with a win over Campbell in May 2016. Clay Guida and Bobby Green won decisions in 2017 and 2018.
Keep exploring
Closest featherweight profiles to Erik Koch, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Diego Nunesbest cardio 84 · weakest bjj 72
- Cub Swansonbest boxing 86 · weakest wrestling 72
- Pablo Garzabest cardio 80 · weakest wrestling 68
- Dustin Poirierbest cardio 86 · weakest wrestling 75
- Featherweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Erik Koch's strongest attribute, Kickboxing.
Draft Erik Koch into your build
Erik Koch enters the pool on any spin landing on featherweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Erik Koch is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Erik Koch's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.