Navajo Stirling stayed perfect in his UFC run with a violent stoppage of Ion Cutelaba in the UFC Vegas 119 co-main event.
The unbeaten prospect closed the show in the second round after overwhelming Cutelaba with sustained pressure and heavy ground-and-pound at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Early Chaos
The fight opened with Cutelaba trying to impose his trademark aggression. He forced early clinch exchanges and briefly threatened with a standing guillotine choke.
Stirling stayed composed through the danger. Even when Cutelaba dragged him to the mat, he worked his way back up and avoided giving up control for long stretches.
Once back at range, Stirling began to settle. He used his jab to find distance and mixed in straight punches to keep Cutelaba from rushing inside. A knee sneaked through in close range and a late body shot in the first round pushed Cutelaba backward.
Cutelaba answered back with his own bursts. The exchanges stayed tense, but Stirling started to find a rhythm as the round closed.
Cage Trap Turns Into Fight-Ending Barrage
The second round shifted quickly. Cutelaba pushed forward again, looking to close space and drag Stirling into a grappling battle. Stirling met him with clean counters, including a sharp right hand that snapped Cutelaba’s head back.
A brief scramble followed, with Cutelaba hunting for a kimura and Stirling working out of danger. Once they separated, Stirling reset his stance and went right back to pressure.
The decisive moment came along the fence. Stirling pinned Cutelaba against the cage and began unloading punches in tight space. Cutelaba shelled up, offering little return fire.
Stirling kept pouring it on. Cutelaba absorbed shot after shot with no clear escape route. The referee eventually stepped in at 3:23 of the second round to halt the punishment.
Stirling Stays Undefeated and Keeps Rising
The finish pushed Stirling to 10-0 overall and 5-0 inside the UFC. Each win has added more attention to his rapid climb through the light heavyweight division.
Stirling said in the post-fight interview that HE is the next big thing.
“I told everyone that I was the next big thing,”
“They can come fraud check these nuts because I’m the real deal.”
“I can scramble my ass off. I know no matter what, I’m not afraid to get taken down because I’m going to get back up. I wrestle all the time so I had to show everyone.”
“The division’s all over the place, I don’t care whoever it is. Maybe October next. Anyone.”