City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman talks to Michelle Langstone about what drew him to the sport, training his fighters during the Covid-19 lockdown, and helping build his beloved gym from the ground up. Portraits by Edith Amituanai. The air inside Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym is heavy with a fug of sweat so thick it feels as … Read more
New Zealand goes three for three at UFC Melbourne, culminating in Israel Adesanya’s win over Anderson Silva. Israel Adesanya’s victory over Anderson Silva in Melbourne was a masterclass in creativity and a coming-out party for New Zealand MMA. Facing down a near mirror-image of himself, Adesanya fought fluid and confident, switching his stance, here fighting … Read more
New Zealand martial artist Israel Adesanya will cross the threshold into legitimate worldwide superstardom this weekend when he fights the most dominant mixed martial artist in history. Israel Adesanya is near untouchable. With just two losses across more than 100 fights from Brazil to the Far East, Adesanya has captured the nation’s attention like nobody … Read more
Writer and illustrator Toby Morris finally answers a question that’s been keeping him up at night. There are a lot of things wrong with this world, but if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s false claims of glory. Like wearing fake war medals, it’s delusional and disgraceful. Case in point: There are several businesses … Read more
An overly faithful reproduction of the tacky aesthetics of modern mixed martial arts holds back what is easily the best UFC game yet, writes Don Rowe. Few sports change as much year-on-year as mixed martial arts, and thus the release schedule of the bi-annual EA UFC video game reflects the current state of the sport … Read more
A police takedown of a drunk and belligerent biker in the Auckland suburb of Kingsland went viral this week. Pro fighter Shane Young breaks down the action ahead of his own fight this evening in Auckland. Though its logo might look like the sticker on a New Era snapback, the Portland Public House is a … Read more
Former world champion kickboxer ‘Lightning’ Mike Angove will be in the best seat in the house tomorrow night when he calls Parker vs Takam. Here he provides an exclusive preview and breakdown of the richest fight in New Zealand history. Kiwi heavyweight hope Joseph Parker has skipped a year in his boxing education in an attempt at graduating … Read more
Ahead of Mark Hunt’s fight against Frank Mir this weekend, the TAB is finally taking bets on the UFC. What happened, what does it mean, and. most importantly, who should you bet on? Don Rowe reports. In 2010 I sat five metres from a bulging and aged chicken-wire fence on the ground level of Lumpinee … Read more
For the past few years, Israel Adesanya has been on an unstoppable tear through combat sports, racking up titles across Australasia and the stadiums of China. Don Rowe sits down for breakfast with the Stylebender ahead of his third King in the Ring elimination tournament next weekend. With more than 40 professional kickboxing wins, two King in … Read more
Mark Hunt fought his way from the streets of South Auckland to the top of the world stage in a career spanning almost 20 years. Don Rowe speaks to co-author Ben Mckelvey about writing a book with the Super Samoan. Are fighters born or made? In Mark Hunt’s case the answer appears to be both. Perhaps the hardest puncher to … Read more