NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / UFC

UFC 245: City Kickboxing looking to end 2019 as UFC's best team as Kai Kara-France and Alexander Volkanovski fight

Christopher Reive
By Christopher Reive
Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·
13 Dec, 2019 08:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

City Kickboxing based UFC fighter Alexander Volkanovski takes on Max Holloway for the UFC's featherweight title this weekend in Las Vegas. VIDEO / UFC

With two fights left on their schedule for the 2019 season, the City Kickboxing stable is on the brink of ending the year as the UFC's most successful stable.

With a combined 10-0 record in UFC bouts this year, flyweight Kai Kara-France and featherweight Alexander Volkanovski will look to cap off an unbeaten year at UFC 245 in Las Vegas on Sunday (NZ time).

For City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman, just being in the conversation for the best UFC stable in the world was enough to make him pinch himself.

READ MORE:
• Premium - MMA: UFC confirms return to New Zealand with 2020 fight night
• Premium - MMA: UFC to return to New Zealand in early 2020 with third UFC Auckland event
• UFC fighter Alistair Overeem's lip explodes in brutal defeat to Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Premium - UFC Auckland: Former UFC Strawweight title challenger to fight in Auckland

"It's somewhere I thought we could probably get, I had an inkling, but an inkling is nothing to bet the house on. That's the rewarding part … that we got to where I thought we could and I never really knew for sure that we would get here."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kara-France, the UFC's No 6 ranked flyweight, takes on Brandon Moreno, ranked No 5, on Sunday, before Volkanovski fights Max Holloway for the featherweight title. For both fighters, they go to Vegas facing the biggest test of their careers.

Kai Kara-France is on an eight-fight winning streak. Photo / Getty Images
Kai Kara-France is on an eight-fight winning streak. Photo / Getty Images

The same can be said for Bareman, who was quick to admit Holloway was the most difficult opponent he has ever had to plan for.

"Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, whoever's name you throw out, this is the most difficult opponent I've ever had to strategise for and come up with tactics against."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Holloway and Volkanovksi will square off in the co-main event on Sunday in what is expected to be an intense encounter. The Kiwi-trained Volkanovski challenges for the title with a 20-1 record and on a 17-fight winning streak, and Holloway is unbeaten in his last 14 fights in the division.

"I know what Alex is capable of. I've trained with him, I've felt it myself, I've seen what he's done to some of the athletes in here and I know him well – I've cornered him quite a few times – and it just gives me confidence that he can deal with the problems that Max poses."

Discover more

UFC

CCTV footage shows UFC star KO trash-talker

21 Dec 12:30 AM

Among the problems Holloway causes opponents, fatigue is the most devastating. The Hawaiian has a massive cardio base and works a near non-stop tempo on offence, picking his opponents apart with his jab before laying into lengthy combinations in the late rounds.

Eugene Bareman, Alexander Volkanovski, Joe Lopez and Brad Riddell. Photo / Getty Images
Eugene Bareman, Alexander Volkanovski, Joe Lopez and Brad Riddell. Photo / Getty Images

However, Volkanovski's power is a rarity in the featherweight division and his abilities to grapple and set up his attack both on his feet and on the ground make him a very dangerous opponent.

"Any fighter that doesn't get tired, they're always going to be the most difficult ones to prepare for. Think of all the fighters that are tremendously difficult to deal with. They all have massive cardio bases; they seem to never get tired.

"I'm lucky – this is an athlete who has just as good cardio if not better than Max. So immediately I don't have to worry about that."

For Bareman, leading his fighters onto the biggest stage in the sport is a dream come true. Two months removed from leading Israel Adesanya to the middleweight title, Bareman has the chance to lead another one of his fighters to the same heights.

"I just got out of that frying pan and was relieved to get out of it, now I'm stuck back in it. I always knew I was going to come back into it and although I love to be in it, it can be a very stressful frying pan to be in.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Israel's fight finished and I was just like 'OK, Alex's fight is next.' I'll get a little bit of relief after this fight, but then I've got to turn around for Dan Hooker's fight (at UFC Auckland in February). But such is life; this is what I want to do with my life so I'm never going to complain about it. From one pressure cooker into the next; I love it, so there are no complaints."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from UFC

UFC

'I thought he was gone': Navajo Stirling continues UFC rise with win

11 May 01:21 AM
UFC

'I was in robot mode': How UFC contract changed things for Navajo Stirling

07 May 05:05 AM
UFC

On The Up: How Auckland gym gave UFC fighter a second chance

02 May 12:07 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from UFC

'I thought he was gone': Navajo Stirling continues UFC rise with win

'I thought he was gone': Navajo Stirling continues UFC rise with win

11 May 01:21 AM

Stirling looked for a late finish, but won a unanimous decision to stay unbeaten.

'I was in robot mode': How UFC contract changed things for Navajo Stirling

'I was in robot mode': How UFC contract changed things for Navajo Stirling

07 May 05:05 AM
On The Up: How Auckland gym gave UFC fighter a second chance

On The Up: How Auckland gym gave UFC fighter a second chance

02 May 12:07 AM
‘Only thing left for me’: Ulberg calls for title shot after biggest UFC win

‘Only thing left for me’: Ulberg calls for title shot after biggest UFC win

22 Mar 11:37 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP