Athletes
City Kickboxing | A Global MMA Powerhouse
City Kickboxing Continues To Prove Why It’s One Of The Premiere Gyms In The World
Few gyms across the mixed martial arts space have developed a reputation as successful as City Kickboxing (CKB). Based in Auckland, New Zealand, CKB is home to many professional fighters with the likes of Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, and Kai Kara-France leading the way.
While those names are still among the elite in their respective divisions, there’s a new crop of CKB athletes who are beginning to make noise inside the Octagon. Recently, Carlos Ulberg has seen the most success, with seven straight UFC wins, and he is now the No. 6 light heavyweight in the world.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
He’s accumulated five finishes throughout his seven fights in the promotion and is 2-0 in 2024.
The most recent CKB product to earn a UFC roster spot, Navajo Stirling, broke through on Dana White’s Contender series in September with a knockout victory over Phillip Latu in the second round. He started training when he was 19 years old, and eight years later, Stirling is under the world’s combat leader.
Despite being so young into his career, Stirling has captured two King in the Ring eight-man titles, a WKBF World Kickboxing title, and two MMA belts under Shuriken & Hex.
Stirling’s background stems mostly from kickboxing and Muay Thai. He’s finished his last four opponents with strikes and clearly seems to be a step ahead on the feet against his opponents. At just 5-0, the New Zealand Native is well ahead of most athletes with similar MMA experience and he’s hitting his physical prime, having just turned 27 years old.
READ: Tampa Main Event Spotlight
After a measured first round between Stirling and Latu in the Contender series bout, the pace picked up in the second round. Halfway through the second, with the light heavyweights in close range, Stirling landed a devastating left hook that dropped Latu to the canvas, resulting in a one-punch finish.
With a 6-foot-4 frame, Stirling brings size, combined with power, accuracy, and athleticism, which poses a dangerous challenge for basically anyone at 205 pounds.
WATCH: Covington vs Buckley | UFC Journey
This Saturday, he makes his first walk as a UFC fighter as he takes on Tuco Tokkos, who is 10-4 overall with only one appearance inside the Octagon, which was a submission loss to Oumar Sy earlier this year.
Stirling and Tokkos are slated for the main card opener, which tells you everything you need to know about this matchup. You can expect violence, because the matchmakers certainly do.
If Stirling continues to ascend, it looks like head coach Eugene Bareman has another rising star to work with.
View Stirling's Athlete Profile
At the same time, CKB currently has four fighters who are within the top six of their weight divisions. So, as exciting as the future might be for CKB, they have multiple athletes aiming for gold in the present.
From champions like Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski, to competitors on the regional scene, to people like Stirling who are just getting to the big show, CKB truly is one of the most elite mixed martial arts gyms on the planet.
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!