Swashbuckling kickboxer Oscar Remihana will carry an additional load on his shoulders, when he takes the stage for the next edition of the iconic King in the Ring tournament on Saturday.
Remihana headlines a quality field of middleweight combatants for the eight-man elimination that includes City Kickboxing stablemates Mark Timms and two-time champion Navajo Stirling, while John Brewin lurks as a reserve fighter.
Since its inception back in 2011, the tournament has become the tried-and-tested proving ground for aspiring Kiwi fighters, counting UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Blood Diamond among its famed alumni.
As it so happens, Remihana now regularly shares the mat with that trio at his new base at Auckland's world-renowned City Kickboxing - the latest step in his quest to forge a reputation as a world-class kickboxer.
But with great training comes great responsibility and Remihana - who boasts 23 knockouts among his 30 professional wins - hopes to continue the Mt Eden gym's dominance at the event, with five of its last six champions hailing from the Kiwi combat hotbed.
"I'm good with pressure," Remihana told Newshub. "Pressure makes diamonds, right?"
The New Plymouth-product made his promotional debut at the super-middleweight event in July 2020, where his ultra-aggressive, crowd-pleasing approach nearly stole the show, despite losing a razor-close decision in the semi-final to eventual champion Terence Montgomery.
He may have flown relatively under the radar that night, but this time around, he's the biggest blip on the sonar, entering as the firm favorite to take home the oversized novelty cheque and the prestige that comes with being a King in the Ring champion.
The 24-year-old is well aware he'll have a large target on his back, but as far as he's concerned, it's all business as usual.
"I'm just treating it the same as every other fight," he insisted. "Still training hard and just trying not to let things get to my head too much."
After returning from a valuable stint at Bali MMA under Kiwi head coach Mike Ikilei, Remihana negotiated the lockdown by working with long-time coach and mentor Francis Vesetolu, before moving to City Kickboxing.
Now just over a year into his tenure, Remihana believes he's levelled up his already highly refined technique by tapping into the wealth of experience and talent surrounding him on a daily basis, leaning on head coaches Eugene Bareman and Doug Viney in particular.
According to Remihana, tapping into such a world class resource, while receiving casual words of advice from 'The Last Stylebender', still leaves him star struck.
"I just thought it's the No.1 gym in New Zealand… it would've been pretty stupid not to go there," he said. "Being around all the other world champions and all the previous King in the Ring champions, I've been learning so much off them.
"It's just crazy seeing all the stars roll in and out of the gym. I just feel pretty lucky to be there - it's helped me add so much to my game."
In addition to his newfound tutelage, Remihana has now also made the all-important transition to full-time fighter, with sponsorship from bitcoin company Shibnobi allowing him to ditch his day job building pools to focus on his dreams.
That spells danger for his fellow combatants, as Remihana test-drives the huge strides he's made since dedicating his working week to unadulterated improvement.
"It's just helped me grow massively - being able to get my proper recovery in, not having to work during the day.
"I'm getting the extra trainings in and my nutrition sorted, and being able to use my spare time to just relax and focus on recovery. It's been huge."
Growing up at the gym with his kickboxer dad, Remihana has cultivated his techniques since he was 14. He knocked out an adult at just 16 on a 'Knees of Fury' card at Hamilton and hasn't looked back since.
Aside from his teammates, among those out to spoil the CKB party are three-time NZ champion Tony Jaggard from Palmerston North, and hardened veterans Jono Anderson and Mike Kapi.
Remihana is confident those hours of experience inside a ring - including the priceless insight on managing the gruelling three-fight format - combined with his efficient and suffocating kick-heavy offence, will give him a significant edge over his opponents this weekend.
"I would say my forward pressure is going to be a problem for these guys," he noted. "I'm pretty aggressive, but also technical.
"I'm not a stupid fighter. I don't throw and hope, and stuff like that.
"I've just been in the ring a lot more than these guys."
Joining the hallowed list of fighters to claim a King in the Ring title would be an enormous boost to Remihana's prospects, as he eyes his ultimate goal of earning a spot on Asia-based ONE Championship's star-studded roster of kickboxers.
"It just solidifies me as the true NZ champion," he said. "There are heaps of other belts, but the King of the Rings is the renowned NZ championship.
"Winning that is just going to open up so many doors for me, open up a lot of opportunities."
