UFC Fight Night Auckland has almost arrived and one of the low key beautiful things to this monumental moment for #KiwiUFC is that there ain't no pay-per-view as it's all live on ESPN. Well, that's one low key beautiful thingy because there is another slept on aspect to this weekend's antics and that's the timing of UFC Fight Night Auckland coming the day after Eternal 50 which is also in Auckland.

Eternal 50 will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass for you MMA freaks, starting 6pm.

I'm far from a Mixed Martial Arts expert, definitely not from the local scene and thus my duty is know when to share information and when to stop reaching as far as laying down expertise goes. With that in mind, I'm not fully in tune with the going ons of Eternal, yet I do know that there are a number of City Kickboxing fighters (plus numerous other kiwis) on the Eternal 50 card, making this weekend that wee bit more monumental for MMA in Aotearoa.

One of my favourite past times is understanding what makes sports teams/clubs successful and what differentiates the best from the rest. Chuck this idea into the #KiwiUFC (which I suspect will soon be expanded to #KiwiMMA as kiwi fighters gain traction with other notable organisations) bubble and this journey in covering fighters from Aotearoa has been a journey of learning about the culture and vibe of CKB.

Two key points from absorbing content throughout the week...

First, is another gem from coach Eugene Bareman - who is consistently offering all kinds of gems. Here is a transcript of some of Bareman's interview with Submission Radio...

Kacper Rosolowski (Sub Radio)

"I know you're not too keen on Israel fighting Jon Jones, because you feel like 'why give Jon Jones that opportunity, but Israel keeps saying '2021 Raiders stadium'. I'm wondering if you guys have discussed that at all, have you gone back and forth as far as your different philosophies on whether that fight should happen or not ... and I'm wondering if you learned anything new about Jon Jones at UFC 247 this past weekend?"

Eugene Bareman

"That's the thing, it's not up to to Israel, I make the decision on the fights. So come 2021, Israel has to convince me that we should fight Jon Jones and if I don't feel that we have to then it's not going to happen. It's not even Israel's call”.

Then we have this glorious piece of content via Combat TV in which Doug Viney is interviewed. Like Bareman, Viney is part of Aotearoa's fighting history and is co-owner of CKB, making this a solid reminder that whether it's the lineage of Aotearoa fighting history that runs through CKB or the numerous wizards behind the scenes at CKB, CKB's standing in Aotearoa is far more important that it looks on the surface. As for Viney...

I view these two little slithers of content as reflecting the culture of CKB and these go a long way to understanding why CKB is in this position. This isn't the first time I've noted matua Eugene keeping it real about such matters and my feeling is that along with Viney and other leaders at CKB, there has been a tangible culture instilled at CKB.

This is rooted in whanau - which is evident in how Alexander Volkanovski (or any other CKB fighter) links up with CKB to ensure he is there to help his comrades prepare just as they helped him prepare for his fights. CKB now consistently make trips to local marae prior to UFC cards that have multiple CKB fighters in action and that's a small nod to CKB's connection to the land of Aotearoa, another is Dan Hooker talking about this connection to the land.

In any whanau though, there are morals and values to uphold. The leaders of CKB surely laid those out long ago when setting CKB up and as their standing in the MMA world has exploded, those morals and values certainly haven't been breezed over. Everything starts with the leaders, the elders and as I learn more about CKB, it is blatantly clear that Bareman, Viney and their staff have done a fine job in laying down certain foundations in establishing CKB.

Tomorrow morning I'll drop a full viewing guide for UFC Fight Night Auckland and the #KiwiUFC lads. For now, here's some relevant content from the past few days...

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Peace and love 27.