Mike Bernardo
Despite having no kickboxing background to speak of and only showing rudimentary striking ability in his MMA bouts, Erikson was recruited by premier kickboxing organization K-1 later in 2002. Matched with Mike Bernardo at the "K-1 Andy Spirits Japan GP 2002 Final" on September 22, 2002, Erikson suffered a first-round knockout defeat. He was able to survive into the fourth round with Hiromi Amada at "K-1 Beast 2003" on April 6, 2003 but again lost by KO in a slug-fest.