Navajo Stirling

Stirling survived the toughest moments of his UFC run before turning it around. Ion Cutelaba took him down and hunted a submission early, but every time the fight returned to the feet Stirling hurt him — and once Cutelaba emptied his tank in the second, Stirling swarmed with ground-and-pound for a second-round TKO.

Key moments

• Cutelaba scored takedowns and threatened a submission in the first round, the first real adversity of Stirling's career.
• Stirling stunned Cutelaba on the feet each time the fight reset, banking damage while weathering the grappling.
• When Cutelaba gassed against the fence in the second, Stirling unloaded ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in at 3:23.
• The win kept him undefeated at 10-0 and pushed him into the light heavyweight top 15.

Stirling stayed unbeaten by stopping Bruno Lopes in the second round at UFC Seattle. The fight opened competitively, but Stirling's cleaner kickboxing, body work and ground-and-pound took over before the referee stepped in.

Key moments

• MMA Fighting recorded Stirling over Lopes by second-round TKO at 4:05.
• MMA Mania described Stirling picking Lopes apart with combinations and body shots as the fight turned in round two.
• The same recap framed the stoppage as Stirling's first UFC finish.

Stirling out-worked the powerful Rodolfo Bellato over 15 minutes in Perth for a clear unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Bellato pressed for takedowns early, but Stirling reversed position, landed the sharper strikes, and mixed in a takedown of his own to control the fight.

Key moments

• Bellato pushed the fight to the fence early hunting takedowns; Stirling reversed and answered with the cleaner shots.
• Stirling landed a takedown of his own in the second round, showing a rounded game with under 10 pro fights.
• All three judges scored it for Stirling (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), keeping him undefeated.

In a striking-heavy matchup, Stirling edged the boxer Ivan Erslan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27) at UFC 315 in Montreal. He defended Erslan's takedown attempts, mixed in his own, and nearly finished late when a flush cross buckled Erslan against the cage.

Key moments

• Erslan took an early round on the feet before Stirling defended his takedown and turned the position.
• A clean cross rocked Erslan into the cage late, and Stirling opened up with an unanswered barrage.
• Erslan survived to the final horn, but all three judges scored it for Stirling (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).

Stirling announced himself in the UFC with a poised, three-round unanimous decision over Tuco Tokkos on his Octagon debut. He used his length and volume to manage distance across 15 minutes and move to 6-0 as a professional.

Key moments

• Won his UFC debut by unanimous decision over three rounds.
• Used his 6-foot-4 frame and long reach to control range against Tokkos.
• Improved to 6-0 as a professional and 1-0 in the UFC.