Navajo Stirling believes he has matured enough as he prepares to face Bruno Lopes in Seattle this Sunday. The Kiwi prospect is eager to demonstrate that he is ready to make a push in the light heavyweight division when he enters the UFC octagon.
The 28-year-old has had a perfect start to his mixed martial arts career, joining the UFC with a 5-0 record and subsequently winning his first three fights in the promotion.
Stirling Aims to Dictate the Fight
Stirling is seeking his ninth consecutive win on Sunday and told the Herald that he views this fight as an opportunity to make a statement.
“I’m starting to realise like, oh, you know, we are good at our gym and although we come from a striking gym, our grappling is right up there,” the City Kickboxing-trained light heavyweight said.
“My past few fights, I’ve been able to get a feel of the opponents and be like, ‘you know what, this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing here’ or whatever. Like, I feel stronger in this position.
“So now it’s just being able to back that and not be so hesitant. I just can really put my foot forward and really dictate the pace of the fight and take over, man. That’s what I’m looking to do.”
Lessons Learned From Previous Fight
Stirling’s last fight was in Perth in September, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Rodolfo Bellato. He gained valuable insights from that bout, particularly as he felt somewhat burnt out leading up to fight night.
“I think it was just a little bit of overtraining and just even the same on the fight week. Like, just not feeling as pumped up and ready for the fight and I really had to kind of test my resolve a little.
“Sometimes you need those iffy fight camps to get through just to really put you on your heels and bring it out of you mentally. I know I’ve got that in me. Despite everything going wrong, I’m still able to cross the finish line and come through.”
Adesanya’s Influence and Stirling’s Legacy
Stirling will be on the same card as City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya, who will face American middleweight Joe Pyfer in the main event.
Fans and pundits have observed Adesanya’s influence on Stirling, noting similarities in their approaches inside the octagon. Stirling acknowledges Adesanya as a great mentor but is focused on creating his own legacy.
“Israel’s given me insight into everything coming into fighting. The way a champion carries himself, deals with the fame inside and outside of the octagon. I’ve taken small parts of his game and blended them into my own. Things that I liked and, you know, just really blended it into myself.
“I never tried to be Israel. I took some of his stuff and put it into my own, but at the same time, I just want to be Navajo Stirling. Being compared to [Israel], I look at it as a positive because of everything he’s done. But as far as I’m concerned, like for me, I’ve got way more to do.
“I’ve got so much more to prove and I’m not just going to sit on the high horse and say like, hey, I train with Israel, you kno
Stirling wants to show he’s ready to make a charge in the light heavyweight division.