Erik Koch

Background

Koch was enrolled in Tae Kwon Do classes at the age of four, and reached his black belt by the age of ten, piquing his interest in MMA. With help from his older brother, Keoni, who helps run an MMA gym in Iowa with Dave Sherzer (Hard Drive MMA), Erik started MMA-style striking and grappling before the age of 14. Koch would later drop out of Washington High School (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) to pursue a professional career in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After compiling a 2–0 amateur record, Koch made his professional MMA debut in 2007. Fighting primarily in Iowa, he amassed an undefeated streak of 8–0 before being signed to World Extreme Cagefighting.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Koch was scheduled to fight Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 43 on September 2, 2009, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an undisclosed injury while training. Koch was replaced by WEC newcomer Mackens Semerzier. Now Koch made his WEC debut against Jameel Massouh on December 19 for WEC 45. Koch defeated Massouh via unanimous decision.

Koch was defeated by WEC newcomer Chad Mendes via unanimous decision on March 6, 2010, at WEC 47.

Koch rebounded from his first professional loss as he faced Bendy Casimir on June 20, 2010, at WEC 49. Koch won via first-round triangle choke submission.

Koch was expected to face Josh Grispi on November 11, 2010, at WEC 52. However, due to the UFC/WEC merger, the fight was scratched as Grispi was awarded a title fight with current WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo to determine the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion. Koch defeated promotional newcomer Francisco Rivera via first-round TKO, earning Knockout of the Night honors.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2011

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Koch was expected to face Cub Swanson on March 3, 2011, at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann. However Swanson was forced out of the bout with an injury.

Koch faced Raphael Assunção at UFC 128, replacing the injured Manvel Gamburyan. He won the fight via first round knockout, earning Knockout of the Night honors.

Koch was expected to face Cub Swanson on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132. However, Swanson was forced out of the bout with another injury.

Koch faced The Ultimate Fighter 12 winner Jonathan Brookins on September 17, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 25. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

2012

Koch was expected to face Dustin Poirier on February 4, 2012, at UFC 143. However, Koch pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Ricardo Lamas, who was then replaced by Max Holloway due to injury as well.

Koch was expected to face José Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship on July 21, 2012, at UFC 149. However, Aldo was forced out of the bout citing an injury and the bout was postponed.

Koch was expected to face José Aldo on October 13, 2012, at UFC 153 for the UFC Featherweight Championship. However, Koch was forced out of the bout with another injury and replaced by Frankie Edgar.

2013

Koch faced Ricardo Lamas on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6. He lost via TKO in the second round.

Koch faced Dustin Poirier on August 31, 2013, at UFC 164. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

2014

After two consecutive losses, Koch returned to lightweight and faced Rafaello Oliveira on February 22, 2014, at UFC 170. He won the fight by TKO in the first round.

Koch faced Daron Cruickshank on May 10, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 40. He lost the fight via TKO due to a head kick and punches in the first round.

2015

Koch was expected to face Ramsey Nijem on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox 16. However, Koch was forced from the bout with injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Andrew Holbrook.

2016

Koch was expected to face Drew Dober on January 2, 2016, at UFC 195. However, Koch pulled out of the bout in early December citing another injury and was replaced by Scott Holtzman.

Koch was expected to face Joe Proctor on May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88. However, Proctor pulled out of the fight on April 21 citing injury and was replaced by Shane Campbell. Koch won the fight via submission in the second round.

A rescheduled bout with Drew Dober was expected to take place on September 10, 2016, at UFC 203. However on August 11, Koch pulled out again due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Jason Gonzalez.

2017

Koch was expected to face Tony Martin on January 15, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 103. However, Koch pulled out of the fight on December 12 with yet another injury and was replaced by Alex White.

Koch faced Clay Guida on June 25, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 112. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

2018

Koch faced Bobby Green on January 27, 2018, at UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Koch was scheduled to face promotional newcomer Dwight Grant in a welterweight bout on December 15, 2018, at UFC on Fox 31. However, Koch was removed from the card on November 28 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Zak Ottow.

2019

Koch faced Kyle Stewart on July 27, 2019, at UFC 240 in a welterweight bout. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

2020

On December 23, 2020, it was reported that Koch was released by the UFC.

Koch was suspended by USADA for 18 months for testing positive for 3'-hydroxy-stanozolol, a metabolite of stanozolol, as the result of a urine sample collected on October 3, 2020. He became eligible to return on April 3, 2022.

Championships and accomplishments

• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Francisco Rivera
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Raphael Assunção
• Mainstream MMA
  • Mainstream MMA Lightweight Championship (2008)
• Midwest Cage Championship
  • MCC 20 Featherweight Tournament Winner (2009)

Mixed martial arts record

|ko-wins=4 |sub-wins=8 |dec-wins=4 |ko-losses=2 |sub-losses=0 |dec-losses=4 |Win |Kyle Stewart |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 240 | |Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

| |Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | |- |Loss |Clay Guida |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee | |Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |- |Win |Shane Campbell |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss |Daron Cruickshank | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva | | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | |- | Win | Rafaello Oliveira | TKO (punches) | UFC 170 | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| |Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | |- | Loss | Ricardo Lamas | TKO (elbows) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson | |Chicago, Illinois, United States | |- | Win | Jonathan Brookins | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger | |New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |- | Win | Raphael Assunção | KO (punch) | UFC 128 | |Newark, New Jersey, United States

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| |Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |- | Loss | Chad Mendes | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 47 | |Columbus, Ohio, United States | |- | Win | Jameel Massouh | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 45 | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Tom Ahrens | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Midwest Cage Championships 20 | |West Des Moines, Iowa, United States

| |West Des Moines, Iowa, United States

| |Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

| |Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | |- | Win | TJ O'Brien | Submission (armbar) | Mainstream MMA 6: Evolution | |Dubuque, Iowa, United States | |- | Win | Tyler Combs | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 17 | |Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States | |- | Win | Micah Washington | Submission (armbar) | Mainstream MMA 5: Heavy Duty | |Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | |- | Win | Prentiss Wolf | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Mainstream MMA 4: Epic | |Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States |

References

References

1. "UFC 170 Weigh-In Results: Ronda Rousey, Sara McMann Hit Marks for Main Event".
2. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Brown vs. Silva". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
3. Michael Drahota. (May 11, 2014). "UFC Fight Night 40 results recap: Daron Cruickshank vs Erik Koch fight review and analysis". MMAmania.com.
4. http://boxing.nv.gov/2010%20Results%20Web/11-11-10%20MMA.pdf{{Dead link. (August 2019)
5. (November 15, 2011). "UFC Fighter Profile". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
6. (February 2011). "New Blood". FIGHT! Magazine.
7. "Koch fights to be the best".
8. (March 19, 2011). "Koch's Smorgasbord". Sherdog.com.
9. "Erik Koch ("The Phoenix") | MMA Fighter Page".
10. (2009-01-02). "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson on October 10 in San Antonio, Texas". MMAFrenzy.com.
11. nwi.com. (2009-09-29). "Torres-trained Semerzier steps up, will make WEC debut". nwi.com.
12. John Morgan. "WEC newcomer Zach Micklewright meets Muhsin Corbbrey at WEC 45 in Las Vegas".
13. (2010-01-26). "Erik Koch vs. Chad Mendes targeted for WEC 47 prelims in March".
14. (2010-05-03). "Featherweights Erik Koch and Bendy Casimir meet on WEC 49 prelims in June". mmajunkie.com.
15. "Josh Grispi vs. Erik Koch targeted for WEC 52 in November". mmajunkie.com.
16. (2010-11-03). "Erik Koch to Stay on WEC 52 Card, Face Newcomer Francisco Rivera". mmafighting.com.
17. (October 28, 2010). "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com.
18. (January 10, 2011). "WEC vets Eric Koch vs. Cub Swanson targeted for UFC on Versus 3". mmajunkie.com.
19. (February 24, 2011). "Cub Swanson out at UFC on Versus 3, Erik Koch awaits new opponent". mmajunkie.com.
20. (February 26, 2011). "Erik Koch vs. Raphael Assuncao In The Works for UFC 128 in New Jersey". mmaweekly.com.
21. (2011-04-06). "Erik Koch vs. Cub Swanson rebooked for July's UFC 132 event in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
22. (June 2, 2011). "Training injury forces Cub Swanson out of UFC 132, Erik Koch awaits new foe". majukie.com.
23. (2011-06-11). "Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch slated for UFC Fight Night 25 "Bayou" event". mmajunkie.com.
24. (2011-11-15). "Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier added to February's UFC 143 event". mmajunkie.com.
25. (December 21, 2011). "Replacement Ricardo Lamas meets Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
26. (April 28, 2012). "Champ Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch title fight headlines UFC 149 in Calgary". mmajunkie.com.
27. Whitman, Mike. (June 9, 2012). "Jose Aldo-Erik Koch Title Bout Postponed; Urijah Faber-Renan Barao to Headline UFC 149". sherdog.com.
28. (2012-07-19). "José Aldo vs. Erik Koch slated for UFC 153 in Brazil event". tatame.com.br.
29. (August 31, 2012). "Frankie Edgar replaces Erik Koch, meets champ Jose Aldo at UFC 153". mmajunkie.com.
30. (November 7, 2012). "Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas featherweight tilt shifts to UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago". mmajunkie.com.
31. Jeff Cain. (2013-05-23). "Dustin Poirier vs. Erik Koch Has Been Added to the UFC 164 Fight Card in Milwaukee". mmaweekley.com.
32. Dann Stupp. (2014-01-04). "Erik Koch vs. Rafaello Oliveira booked for UFC 170 in Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
33. Staff. (2014-02-27). "Erik Koch vs. Daron Cruickshank joins UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati". mmajunkie.com.
34. Cole, Ross. (10 May 2014). "Daron Cruickshank Stops Erik Koch In The First Round At UFC Fight Night 40". Fight of the Night.
35. Damon Martin. (2015-04-22). "Ramsey Nijem meets Erik Koch at FOX UFC Fight Night in Chicago". foxsports.com.
36. Staff. (2015-06-29). "Andrew Holbrook in for Erik Koch against Ramsey Nijem at UFC on FOX 16". mmajunkie.com.
37. Staff. (2015-09-15). "Lightweights Drew Dober vs. Erik Koch added to UFC 195 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
38. Staff. (2015-12-04). "Scott Holtzman replaces Erik Koch at UFC 195". mmajunkie.com.
39. Mike Bohn and Matt Erickson. (2016-03-19). "UFC Fight Night 88 gets 8 new fights". mmajunkie.com.
40. Staff. (2016-04-21). "Shane Campbell replaces Joe Proctor, meets Erik Koch at UFC Fight 88". themmareport.com.
41. Steven Marrocco. (2016-05-29). "UFC Fight Night 88 results: After layoff in excess of 2 years, Erik Koch chokes out Shane Campbell". mmajunkie.com.
42. Danny Segura. (2016-06-29). "Erik Koch vs. Drew Dober added to UFC 203". mmafighting.com.
43. Staff. (2016-08-11). "Erik Koch out, Drew Dober draws newcomer Jason Gonzalez at UFC 203". mmajunkie.com.
44. Fox Sports Arizona Staff. (2016-11-07). "Welterweights, lightweights added to Phoenix UFC card". foxsports.com.
45. Staff. (2016-12-12). "Alex White steps in for Erik Koch against Tony Martin at UFC Fight Night 103". mmajunkie.com.
46. Danny Segura. (2017-03-29). "Clay Guida vs. Erik Koch added to UFC Fight Night 112 in Oklahoma City". mmafighting.com.
47. (2017-06-26). "UFC Fight Night 112 results: Clay Guida's mat pressure too much for Erik Koch". MMAjunkie.
48. "UFC adds 3 bouts to stacked Fight Night Charlotte card; tickets go on sale Friday". charlotteobserver.
49. (2018-01-28). "UFC on FOX 27 results: Bobby Green tops Erik Koch, wins for first time in more than three years". MMAjunkie.
50. Ben Steele. (2018-08-27). "Erik Koch part of UFC undercard bout Dec. 15 at Fiserv Forum". jsonline.com.
51. Bryant Jenkins. (2018-11-28). "Erik Koch out; Zak Ottow now faces Dwight Grant". themmatakeover.com.
52. Marcel Dorff. (2019-05-16). "Welterweights Erik Koch and Kyle Stewart meet during UFC 240 in Edmonton". mmadnanl.com.
53. Fortune, Ryan. (2019-07-27). "UFC 240 Results: Erik Koch Grinds Out Kyle Stewart".
54. Damon Martin. (December 23, 2020). "Lightweight and featherweight veteran Erik Koch no longer on UFC roster". mmafighting.com.
55. (2021-06-16). "Erik Koch accepts 18-month sanction for violating UFC Anti-Doping policy".