UFC Seattle: Navajo Stirling claims second-round stoppage win over Bruno Lopes
Navajo Stirling of New Zealand reacts after a victory against Bruno Lopes of Brazil in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Photo / Jeff Bottari, Zuffa LLC
Ahead of his UFC Seattle bout against Bruno Lopes, Kiwi light heavyweight Navajo Stirling told the Herald it was time he made some noise.
It’s been an unblemished start to life in the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion for the 28-year-old, who went into Sunday’s fight 3-0 in the UFC and 8-0 as a professional.
However, with his three UFC wins coming by decision, the Kiwi was still hunting an emphatic stoppage to truly announce himself as a contender in the division.
That wait is over.
Stirling claimed a second-round TKO win over Lopes, a straight right landing flush on the Brazilian’s chin and beginning what was ultimately a very long finishing sequence.
Referee Keith Peterson gave Lopes every opportunity to show he was still in the fight and was happy with the Brazilian’s responses as Stirling had to work more than a minute of constant attack before finally forcing Peterson to step in.
“It feels amazing. I’m real happy I put in the work for that one,” Stirling said on the broadcast after the win.
“I was just trying to take my time in there and not rush it like I did before. I worked a lot on my stamina and, yeah, I’m just happy to get it.”
It capped off a solid performance from the Kiwi, who dictated the fight throughout.
While Lopes had some success with his striking, Stirling did not seem at all deterred as he maintained forward pressure and worked well behind his jab.
He did get himself in a little bit of trouble by throwing head kicks, which were consistently caught and turned into takedown attempts by Lopes.
However, Stirling prides himself on being a well-rounded mixed martial artist and was able to defend every takedown Lopes attempted.
That turned it into a battle of striking, which played into the hands of the Kiwi and his sizeable reach advantage.
With four wins in a row, Stirling now holds the third-longest winning streak in the light heavyweight division behind Russian Azamat Murzakanov (6) and City Kickboxing teammate Carlos Ulberg (9).
Stirling was one of two Kiwi fighters to be in action in Seattle, with teammate Israel Adesanya competing in the main event against No 14-ranked middleweight Joe Pyfer.
The Herald will be live blogging the action from that bout, which is expected to go down at around 3.30pm.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.