Christian Eckerlin is a promising German welterweight who possesses good size and athletic talent. Though he enters the sport as a striker, Eckerlin shows versatility in his makeup and could progress into a well rounded lightweight provided he continue focusing heavily on his grappling ability.

Eckerlin’s primary strength lies in his standup. Coming from a boxing background, Eckerlin shows excellent fluidity in his footwork. Eckerlin’s ability to manoeuvre around the cage appears effortless and his overall style is very smooth. The agility in his footwork is most prevalent defensively, where Eckerlin’s able to utilize his foot speed and cage awareness to keep out of trouble. As a boxing stylist, Eckerlin does prefer to launch his offensive attack from the outside. While he may begin tentatively, Eckerlin will open up as the bout wears on and he’s gotten a better read on his opponent’s timing. His arsenal consists of a varied attack featuring crisp, fluid, and precise punches. An effective jab, which combined with his exemplary footwork, is his primary means of establishing range from the outside. Eckerlin’s capacity to put together punching combinations is admirable, especially with his right cross or uppercut followed by a left hook. An impressive lead left hook is usually backed with a straight right down the middle, and the majority of his strikes do possess one punch knockout power. Eckerlin will also incorporate leg/body kicks into his attack, and shows sound counter punching abilities. As a boxer, Eckerlin will need to focus on his clinch. He appears uncomfortable when opponents have gotten inside his range, and has a habit of letting leg kicks land unchecked. Overall Eckerlin’s demonstrated admirable intelligence and technique in his standup, and does hold considerable promise as an MMA striker.

Although striking is his forte, Eckerlin will not hesitate in clinching up and utilizing his takedowns to change pace if he feels his opponent is getting overly aggressive. His primary means of securing takedowns is through the utilization of leg trips or body locks, and he’s not afraid of following his opponent to the mat provided he’s working from top position. He uses his ground and pound well, and though his technical skills are still developing, will make an effort to improve his position. Working off his back, Eckerlin adopts a defensive guard strategy and can be controlled. As a European striker, Eckerlin’s biggest hurdle to success will be his grappling progression. He should continue focusing heavily on his BJJ and wrestling – especially defensively.