Navajo Stirling | City Kickboxing’s Next Threat

While he carried that “future contender” tag upon arrival, things didn’t necessarily go as planned straight out of the gate for Stirling. Each of his first three wins came on the scorecards. Although he earned unanimous decision victories each time out, there was a sense that maybe the expectations placed upon him were a little too great, and Stirling was still a little too inexperienced to make a push forward in the division at that early stage of his career.

But he looked like a different fighter against Bruno Lopes, fighting with a little more urgency and aggression. He hurt the Brazilian with a straight right and then dropped him with a left to the jaw, eventually finishing him from mount with a string of elbows.

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“It felt like more of a tester fight for me to begin the year — see how the body’s feeling, see how I’m performing when I’m in there going live,” Stirling said. “I felt really good and really doubled down on all the gains I made earlier this year going straight into camp again. That’s how I know my body is super-strong and fit and sharp ahead of this fight, and that’s what I’m most excited about… This fight just makes sense. I’m 4-0 in the UFC and most of the guys I’ve beaten are kind of similar to me, newer, prospect-style fighters, but Ion is what I would consider a household UFC name. He’s probably my first real, proper tested UFC opponent.

“Despite being really good and showing good skills, all of that doesn’t hold much value unless we’re able to do that against someone very good. I think that’s what this fight is for me and I’m wanting to show everyone that I am the best prospect and really separate myself from the rest of the division.”

Matchups like this have been a staple in combat sports for years as every talented up-and-comer has to navigate at least one pairing with a game journeyman that can ruin their day if they’re not careful.

Cutelaba has already done that a few times during his UFC career and carries himself with a menacing presence that can psych out those who aren’t prepared for the performative elements he brings to the table. While Stirling respects the savvy ways veterans can upend things for a prospect and the theatrics that will surely take place even before he and Cutelaba start throwing, he welcomes both and is confident that he’ll show he’s ready to take the next step forward in the division.

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“These older guys that have been around, they know what to do, know how to shut down these young guys’ momentum, and really start to big bro them a little bit,” he said. “I pay attention to the psychology of the game, and sometimes he intimidates guys. He’s very aggressive, does the big throat slit in the middle of the cage, and I just love it because it amps me up… I like to be amped up for my fights, I like the energy coming my way, so I’ll look to match that intensity and give it back to him… The eyes never lie, and I’ll look him dead in the eye and show him I’m not afraid.”

Part of that confidence comes from the results he’s earned thus far, but there is also an element of it that has been forged on the mats at City Kickboxing in Auckland where Stirling has come up around championship talents and elite contenders.

“I just finished training with Rob Whittaker, who’s moved over to City Kickboxing to do is his camps; wrestling with him, learning some stuff off him,” began Stirling. “Dan Hooker, he’s gone through rollercoasters in his UFC career and I train alongside him a lot as well, and we swap stories. I pick his brain on a lot of things, what to do, what not to do… He calls himself the ‘Crash Dummy’ for us back home in New Zealand, so he’s been through it all and shared a wealth of knowledge for me that I really pay attention to. Israel (Adesanya) as well, and Rob and Carlos (Ulberg).

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“I feel like I’m cheating the game a little bit because I get access to all of that. It’s mad.”

While fighters like Adesanya, Hooker and Kai Kara-France helped put the small, but mighty outfit on map in the UFC and Carlos Ulberg holds the light heavyweight title, Stirling is part of a group of younger talents in the gym that are relatively fresh to the UFC and already making waves.

“Right now, we’ve got me, Brando (Perisic), Cam Rowston — we’re like The Big 3 right now coming through the gym, making our mark as the next generation of CKB,” began Stirling, citing his fellow unbeaten rising stars who have thus far combined to go 10-0 inside the Octagon. “I’m happy because my coaches do a lot of preparation for all of us, we’re all in the gym, we’ve all been grinding for years, watching Israel do it, and now it’s our turn… Our stable of UFC fighters is ever-growing, and I’m a little but at the forefront for the next gen guys, so I’m just looking to pave the way for them, do what Israel did for me and Carlos, and do my thing.”

This weekend, that means building off his efforts in the Pacific Northwest and making it clear in his return to Las Vegas that he’s going to be the next member of the City Kickboxing family to be a prominent part of a UFC title conversation in the not-too-distant future.

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“This is the best camp I’ve ever had, the sharpest I’ve ever been, and I’m looking to put it all on display,” Stirling said.

“I’m the next light heavyweight champion up-and-comer, for sure.”