November 29, 2024 • 6 mins
King in the Ring’s knack for showcasing the next big thing in Kiwi combat sport will be unfolding again at Saturday night’s 8-man elimination tournament at North Shore’s Eventfinda Stadium.
Though the tournament features its usual bevy of New Zealand and international champions competing for the $10,000 tournament prize, the undercard features an 18-year-old champion who represents the new breed in the rapidly evolving world of combat sports.
UFC Light Heavyweight fighter and previous winner Navajo Sterling joined D'Arcy to preview the event.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from Newstalk s B seven forty six.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
On the All Sport Breakfast Tonight on the North Shore,
it's King and the Ring. This is an event that's
been going on for quite a summer time. It has
produced some superstars and mixed martial arts. As I said before,
the likes of Israeli, Dusna, Carlos Auberg and Navajos Sterling,
who joins us now. He's got his first UFC fight
(00:35):
coming up in a couple of weeks time. He has
one King in the Ring before. We're going to talk
about that shortly. And if you don't know, this is
how it works. King of the Ring. You fight, you
win your first fight, you qualify for the second route.
You win that, you qualify, you go to a final.
So when you win the King and the Ring, you
have been fighting all night. It is absolutely brutal, great
(01:00):
preparation for things like the UFC. Never Hood joins us now.
Morning mate, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I trust your well and looking forward to the fun
and games of King and the Ring. This is something
you'll fought in quite a while. It's a very big
occasion coming up.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Yeah, yeah, no, for sure, it's a very big occasion.
It's almost like something that all martial artists look forward
to when it does come in, which is very rare.
Now they've got the Cruise allweight division and a lot
of new faces. You know, I think we're starting to
coming to that gen z of fighters now, a lot
(01:44):
of new faces, a lot of young guys that are
looking to make names for themselves. And you know, if
there's ever a place to do it, I think this
is the one. This is where I made my name,
helped me get to the path that I'm on to now.
And yeah, I'm interested to see who's there who wants
to prove it, prove that they're the best.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, it's brutal and the fact you fight and you win,
then you sit down for a bit, have a cap
of tellin a lie down, then you fight, then you win,
then you fight. You just keep fighting all night in
order to win that title. That is intense, not only
physically but mentally it's about to do that. Is there
a method behind success and king in the ring?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah? Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I think I've seen some people go through literal hell
to to get the win. And then I've seen people,
you know, absolutely destroy and dominate it, and I think, yeah,
it can, depending.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
On how it all lays out.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Who wants it more determines where that goes. But I think, yeah,
when you're so when you're after you, if you make
it past that first fight, you become so.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Dialed in and to your your abilities.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Everything is turned on and it's it's very easy to
just quickly go back out and go all in. Like
it's almost like all the nerves and the things that
you don't look forward to and going to a fight,
they're all gone now and you get to just display
like everything that you have that you have and if
you are good enough, you will be be everyone. That's
(03:19):
what's so exhilarating about it. You know, you just get
so much experience just fighting and fighting and fighting, and yeah,
I think it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
City kickboxing kids. So they are going to be there
looking for the next big thing because you look at
the guys that have come out. The successful guys are
plainly Israel. He's won at three times and when he
was running through the ranks, that was quite something else
to watch. But we've had Carlos Alberg who's now fighting
at a great win over the weekend, and you've been
(03:48):
through as well. There's a number of other fighters there.
So at this level, is it thick enough and the
cruiserweight level, have we got a decent undertow?
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Yes, No, for sure. I think that's why there'll be
Like when I was and then it was like that
all the veterans were on their way out and I
was the guy coming through the through the ranks, and yeah,
I think now we're gonna we're coming into that next
echelon of fighters, the new wave, all the veterans.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Who are they give us some names? Who are you
looking out for?
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Yeah, I'll be looking out for I think Ka, I
think he. I've seen him fight, see Tolfa. Yeah, those
are two young guys that I've seen on the local circuit.
I think they there will be some big names to.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
To look out for.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I think they just seem like they want it really,
really badly, and they come from good gym, So yeah,
I'm eager to see them. They're the only two names, yeah,
that I've kind of taken interest to. But yeah, I'm
sure if no one's on my radar, they will be
because I'll be their.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Ringside fantastic and on yourself. You're only a couple of
weeks away from your UFC debut over in Florida. Excited much,
that's probably an understatement. You spent a long time trying
to get into this octagon, haven't you, And now all
of that work, everything you've done, it's all zeroing in
(05:23):
on that one date to the fourteenth of December.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Now, my whole life has just been pushed towards this
moment and to make that dream come true. And finally,
I think at the end of twenty twenty three, I
said to myself, I don't know how and I don't
know what I'm going to do, but I will make
my UFC debut twenty twenty four. And I fought too
(05:48):
for a nail right from the beginning of the year,
and I stayed in the gym in and out.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
We'll fight with no fight. I really pushed my heart,
put my heart.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Into it this year, and it would be great to
cap that year off with a massive win and a UFC.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
DAB you on the last card of the year.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Man, It's like, you know, it's a crazy dream, you know,
And I'm living.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I'm like really doing it.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Yeah, I'm so excited and yeah, it's just that that
moment is made for me. I'm really the showcase what
I have to offer.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Crystalise it never get in there. In course the rights
a couple of weeks time. It's going to be so good.
Never hostling. They're looking ahead to tonight's King in the
Ring and of course to his fight in it two
weeks time.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from Newstalk s B seven forty six.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
On the All Sport Breakfast Tonight on the North Shore,
it's King and the Ring. This is an event that's
been going on for quite a summer time. It has
produced some superstars and mixed martial arts. As I said before,
the likes of Israeli, Dusna, Carlos Auberg and Navajos Sterling,
who joins us now. He's got his first UFC fight
(00:35):
coming up in a couple of weeks time. He has
one King in the Ring before. We're going to talk
about that shortly. And if you don't know, this is
how it works. King of the Ring. You fight, you
win your first fight, you qualify for the second route.
You win that, you qualify, you go to a final.
So when you win the King and the Ring, you
have been fighting all night. It is absolutely brutal, great
(01:00):
preparation for things like the UFC. Never Hood joins us now.
Morning mate, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I trust your well and looking forward to the fun
and games of King and the Ring. This is something
you'll fought in quite a while. It's a very big
occasion coming up.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Yeah, yeah, no, for sure, it's a very big occasion.
It's almost like something that all martial artists look forward
to when it does come in, which is very rare.
Now they've got the Cruise allweight division and a lot
of new faces. You know, I think we're starting to
coming to that gen z of fighters now, a lot
(01:44):
of new faces, a lot of young guys that are
looking to make names for themselves. And you know, if
there's ever a place to do it, I think this
is the one. This is where I made my name,
helped me get to the path that I'm on to now.
And yeah, I'm interested to see who's there who wants
to prove it, prove that they're the best.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, it's brutal and the fact you fight and you win,
then you sit down for a bit, have a cap
of tellin a lie down, then you fight, then you win,
then you fight. You just keep fighting all night in
order to win that title. That is intense, not only
physically but mentally it's about to do that. Is there
a method behind success and king in the ring?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah? Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I think I've seen some people go through literal hell
to to get the win. And then I've seen people,
you know, absolutely destroy and dominate it, and I think, yeah,
it can, depending.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
On how it all lays out.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Who wants it more determines where that goes. But I think, yeah,
when you're so when you're after you, if you make
it past that first fight, you become so.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Dialed in and to your your abilities.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Everything is turned on and it's it's very easy to
just quickly go back out and go all in. Like
it's almost like all the nerves and the things that
you don't look forward to and going to a fight,
they're all gone now and you get to just display
like everything that you have that you have and if
you are good enough, you will be be everyone. That's
(03:19):
what's so exhilarating about it. You know, you just get
so much experience just fighting and fighting and fighting, and yeah,
I think it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
City kickboxing kids. So they are going to be there
looking for the next big thing because you look at
the guys that have come out. The successful guys are
plainly Israel. He's won at three times and when he
was running through the ranks, that was quite something else
to watch. But we've had Carlos Alberg who's now fighting
at a great win over the weekend, and you've been
(03:48):
through as well. There's a number of other fighters there.
So at this level, is it thick enough and the
cruiserweight level, have we got a decent undertow?
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Yes, No, for sure. I think that's why there'll be
Like when I was and then it was like that
all the veterans were on their way out and I
was the guy coming through the through the ranks, and yeah,
I think now we're gonna we're coming into that next
echelon of fighters, the new wave, all the veterans.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Who are they give us some names? Who are you
looking out for?
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Yeah, I'll be looking out for I think Ka, I
think he. I've seen him fight, see Tolfa. Yeah, those
are two young guys that I've seen on the local circuit.
I think they there will be some big names to.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
To look out for.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I think they just seem like they want it really,
really badly, and they come from good gym, So yeah,
I'm eager to see them. They're the only two names, yeah,
that I've kind of taken interest to. But yeah, I'm
sure if no one's on my radar, they will be
because I'll be their.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Ringside fantastic and on yourself. You're only a couple of
weeks away from your UFC debut over in Florida. Excited much,
that's probably an understatement. You spent a long time trying
to get into this octagon, haven't you, And now all
of that work, everything you've done, it's all zeroing in
(05:23):
on that one date to the fourteenth of December.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Now, my whole life has just been pushed towards this
moment and to make that dream come true. And finally,
I think at the end of twenty twenty three, I
said to myself, I don't know how and I don't
know what I'm going to do, but I will make
my UFC debut twenty twenty four. And I fought too
(05:48):
for a nail right from the beginning of the year,
and I stayed in the gym in and out.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
We'll fight with no fight. I really pushed my heart,
put my heart.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Into it this year, and it would be great to
cap that year off with a massive win and a UFC.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
DAB you on the last card of the year.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Man, It's like, you know, it's a crazy dream, you know,
And I'm living.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I'm like really doing it.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Yeah, I'm so excited and yeah, it's just that that
moment is made for me. I'm really the showcase what
I have to offer.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Crystalise it never get in there. In course the rights
a couple of weeks time. It's going to be so good.
Never hostling. They're looking ahead to tonight's King in the
Ring and of course to his fight in it two
weeks time.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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