Navajo Stirling recently spoke about the palpable nervousness among fellow aspiring fighters at Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS).
Stirling punched his ticket to the UFC with a brutal second-round, one-punch knockout of Phillip Latu during the main event of Week 5 of DWCS. In a surprising turn of events, the 26-year-old Kiwi has already secured his promotional debut matchup. He’s set to step into the Octagon on December 15 at a UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, where he’ll face Tuco Tokkos in a light heavyweight showdown.
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Stirling, a highly skilled kickboxer, hones his craft at the prestigious City Kickboxing gym in Auckland, training alongside former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and seasoned lightweight Dan Hooker. He transitioned to MMA in September 2022, making his professional debut against James Craughwell under the banner of the Shuriken Fight Series promotion.
Although the MMA community has yet to witness much of Stirling’s talents, the City Kickboxing prodigy turned heads with his recent performance, proving he possesses all the makings of a future star in the sport.
During a recent interview with Sky Sports NZ, Stirling reflected on his experience competing on the grand stage of DWCS. The UFC newcomer noted that many of the other contenders seemed overly anxious about their performances. He confidently expressed his belief that he could outshine the rest with his composure and skill.
It was just like, so many were looking around and seeing how nervous all the other fighters were," Stirling said. "Just seeing them go through their rituals and mantras, it was like I could just see— I don't know if it's weakness or something— but I just know if I was fighting guys like this, I would run through them 100 times over. And I think the UFC staff could see in my presence that I was meant to be there and that I was really going to own the moment.
Stirling went on to say that the earlier matchups on the card lacked excitement, which motivated him to give his best performance. He added that the pressure of representing his country fueled his determination even more.
It was a very lackluster card, and I feel like I did that. It was even so bad that there was one guy who didn't even show up. When I saw a guy who had the opportunity of a lifetime not put his foot forward by even entering the Octagon, it made me think to myself: if I had the weight of my nation on my shoulders, I would go out 100 times over, even knowing I was going to get knocked out within 10 seconds. I would rather do that than not show face at all.
Stirling boasts an undefeated professional record of 5-0, displaying impressive strength along the way. However, the path ahead in the UFC’s highly competitive light heavyweight division will be far from smooth. Before he can think about climbing the ranks, the rising star must first overcome fellow newcomer Tokkos, a dangerous opponent known for his devastating knockout power and slick grappling skills.
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