Successful nights are becoming a regular thing for City Kickboxing. UFC on ESPN+ 26 was no different.
With coach Eugene Bareman manning the helm, per usual, the Oceanic region’s powerhouse MMA gym went undefeated on Saturday. With their leaders UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski sitting cageside, City Kickboxing went 3-0 on home soil.
Starting off the night’s success was flyweight Kai Kara-France. The explosive, speedy Kiwi engaged in an exciting back-and-forth bout with the always gritty Tyson Nam. After a 15-minute battle, Kara-France’s hand was raised.
Brad Riddell was next and carried the momentum with him from the start of his walkout. As he strolled to the cage to fight Magomed Mustafaev, the Auckland faithful loudly and proudly voiced their support.
Riddell’s blood-soaked charisma, energy, and willingness to engage despite being the underdog likely helped boost his popularity throughout the MMA community. Riddell defeated Mustafaev by unanimous decision.
City Kickboxing’s night (and the entire card) was capped off by an instant classic between Dan Hooker and Paul Felder. The two lightweights traded blows in technical destruction. Despite Felder’s toughness, Hooker persevered and had his hand raised when all was said and done.
Between Adesanya, Volkanovski, Hooker, Riddell, Kara-France, UFC featherweight Shane Young, and a plethora of regional fighters, City Kickboxing has a lot to look forward to in 2020.
The hot start to the year piggybacks off a massive 2019. Last year, the gym’s impressive resume and rising success made City Kickboxing MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Gym of the Year.”
Led by Bareman, the Auckland-based gym won 90 percent (nine of 10) of its bouts inside the octagon in 2019.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 took place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streamed on ESPN+.
