What a year it was for City Kickboxing.
Led by head coach Eugene Bareman, the Auckland, New Zealand-based gym won 90 percent (nine of 10) of its bouts inside the octagon in 2019. Among the victories were two UFC title-earning performances by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Other members of City Kickboxing include UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker, UFC flyweight Kai-Kara France, UFC featherweight Shane Young, and UFC lightweight Brad Riddell, among others.
The gym’s impressive resume and rising success makes City Kickboxing MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Gym of the Year.”
Bareman’s efforts aren’t solo, however. He’s joined by a phenomenal supporting staff that includes Tristam Apikotoa, Doug Viney, Steve Fowler, Ivan Walker, Chanel Niumata, Joe Lopez, Cliff Moni Sauni, Mike Angove, Adam Johnson, Andrei Paulet, Frank Hickman, and Asasio Heimuli.
The City Kickboxing staff doesn’t seem like a unit seeking the spotlight, but they have found it. Fame is just a symptom of their main driving-factor: success. They carry a ton of momentum heading into what could be a massive 2020.
Bareman was also named MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Coach of the Year.”
“Gym of the Year” Honorable Mentions
Fortis MMA
Location: Dallas, Texas
Head Coach: Sayif Saud
Other Coaches: Loronz Marion, Josh Bagalay, Darius Yancy,
Key Fighters: Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Miles Johns, Uriah Hall, Diego Ferreira, Alex Morono, Alonzo Menifield, Kennedy Nzechukwu, Macy Chiasson, Steven Peterson
Elevation Fight Team
Location: Denver
Head Coach: Elliot Marshall
Other Coaches: Cody Donovan, Christian Allen, Vinnie Lopez, Dave Zabriskie, Sean Madden, Peter Straub, Vellore, Caballero
Key Fighters: Justin Gaethje, Alistair Overeem, Curtis Blaydes, Cory Sandhagen, Neil Magny Austin Hubbard, Drew Dober, Darko Stosic, Shana Dobson
Pitbull Brothers, Fight Ready MMA & Fitness*
Location: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (Pitbull Brothers) / Scottsdale, Ariz. (Fight Ready MMA)
Coaches: Eric Albarracin (both), Eddie Cha (FR), Santino DeFranco (FR), Everton Lopes (PB), Mano Santana (PB), Thiago Tourao (PB), Valdines Silva (PB), Francisco Freitas (PB)
* The two gyms are separate, friendly entities. But due to a shared coach and shared champion, they have been listed together for the sake of this list.
Key Fighters: Henry Cejudo, Patricio Freire, Patricky Freire, Paulo Costa, Chan Sung Jung, Leandro Higo, Tracy Cortez, Hunter Azure, Frankie Saenz, Henry Corrales, Bobby Moffett, Jordan Johnson, Jonathan Pearce
American Top Team
Location: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Head Coach: Conan Silveira
Other Coaches: Mike Brown, Din Thomas, Steve Mocco, Mohammad Lawal, Thiago Alves, Mikey Rod, Dyah Ali Davis, Steve Bruno, Anderson Franca, Luciano Dos Santos, Vitelmo Katel Kubis, Marcos DaMatta, Billy Padden, Phil Daru, Everton Bittar Oliveira
Key Fighters: Amanda Nunes, Jorge Masvidal, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Junior Dos Santos, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, Douglas Lima, Yoel Romero, Dustin Poirier, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kayla Harrison, Marlon Moraes, Kyoji Horiguchi, Natan Schulte, Thiago Santos, Edson Barboza, Pedro Munhoz, Anthony Rocco Martin, Alexey Oleynik, Andrei Arlovski, John Lineker, Ilir Latifi, Nina Ansaroff, Gillian Robertson, Renato Moicano, Greg Hardy, Antonio Carlos Junior, Valerie Loureda, and many, many more.
