"This little gym in New Zealand is taking over the world of MMA" - Chael Sonnen hails City Kickboxing, says Kai Kara-France should be fighting for the world championship

Chael Sonnen has hailed the City Kickboxing gym, which could produce a third UFC champion in Kai Kara-France later this year. The New Zealand-based gym is behind two of the promotion's reigning champions, middleweight king Israel Adesanya and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski.

Speaking on an episode of Beyond the Fight on his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' opined that Kara-France's latest upset win over the No.2-ranked Askar Askarov has earned him the next shot at flyweight gold, currently held by Deiveson Figueiredo. Sonnen said:

"This little gym in New Zealand is taking over the world of MMA. There's something special going on here. There's something special. I believe that Kai Kara-France should be fighting for a world championship. I know that Kai Kara-France is down to three and I think that Figueiredo has got a bigger decision in this than any of us."

Watch Chael Sonnen discuss the rise of Kara-France in the video below:

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Kai Kara-France willing to sit out to face the winner of Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 4

Kara-France made a strong case for the next title shot with his recent decision win at UFC Columbus. 'Don't Blink' is confident that he is next in line to face Deiveson Figueiredo for the title. However, he doesn't mind sitting on the sidelines to eventually take on the winner of a potential fourth bout between the Brazilian and Brandon Moreno.

Appearing on The MMA Hour, the New Zealander explained that he would be willing to wait his turn if the UFC promises him a title shot against the victor of the bout between the top two flyweights:

"If [the UFC] can guarantee me the title [fight], then it is what it is. I'll happily wait my turn, if that's the case. But like I said, I'm young, I've got no injuries from that fight [versus Askar Askarov], I could fight again this weekend. The UFC likes it if you want to fight, but I'm ultimately in here, in the UFC to be the world champion. So if it ain't for the title, that's what I want. If they say, 'Be the reserved fighter, make the weight, and you'll be the next guy,' then I'll happily do that as well."

Catch Kara-France's full interview with The MMA Hour below:

Kai Kara-France will take the second spot in the flyweight rankings after his UFC Columbus performance earlier this month. Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is currently the No.1-ranked fighter in the division and is expected to face champion Deiveson Figueiredo for a fourth time.