Athletes
Navajo Stirling | Composure Is Key
New Zealand’s Navajo Stirling Is Remaining Patient Early In His UFC Tenure And Hopes To Deliver An Eye-Popping Performance In Perth
Navajo Stirling has all the tools, and he’d be the first to tell you as much. The New Zealander has a sturdy, 6-foot-4 frame, and, coming out of Auckland’s City Kickboxing, has all the knowledge and training partners available a young fighter could want. Through two UFC appearances, the 27-year-old hasn’t provided any reason to doubt his potential, picking up decision wins over Tuco Tokkos and Ivan Erslan.
Stirling’s performances in those fights are best described as “solid,” showing off heavy striking and solid defensive grappling. The best trait he showed in 30 minutes of Octagon time has been his composure. He hasn’t overreached looking for knockouts when they aren’t there, and he hasn’t put himself in bad positions all too often, either. When you talk with Stirling, you quickly get the sense that’s just who he is and that, in spite of or because of his steadfast confidence in himself, he hasn’t allowed the bright lights of the UFC to rattle him.
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“I think it's just in my personality,” Stirling told UFC.com. “I'm very emotionless and stoic, and it keeps me able to really focus and dial in and adjust. In the fight, even when things are going crazy, I can still remain composed.”
The Kiwi hasn’t been shy about his expectations for himself, and that kind of talk can set the bar rather high for fans, but coming to the mixed martial arts leader with just four professional fights on your record puts a young fighter at risk of encountering too much too soon.
Stirling is well-aware of that and acknowledges that he is “very green.” He seems to have taken to the lessons learned in the training room and the Octagon, however, and says he gained a lot of confidence in his wrestling after having it tested through his first two fights.
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Knowing you can do something in the training room and executing it in a fight are, famously, two different beasts, and Stirling was able to do the latter to an effective degree. With his feet wet, he is hoping to grab that first UFC finish, the main bugaboo when it comes to the start of his tenure.
“I heard the noise, and I've taken it into account for sure,” he said. “I feel like I've been I've come so close to the finish for those fights, but this is not making this stupid mistake. That's half of my pay gone if I lose. I'm actually glad that I went the distance because I feel like you get to peel back layers. I've seen fighters get first-round finishes, and then they fight someone they can't finish in the first round, and then they turn to butter, they turn to nothing. Then, (people) are trying to figure out who's the next prospect, you know? That's another thing to take into account is being legit, being actually legit and having good skills. Having good skills is what a champion is, and that's what I want to be.”
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The next step on that skill-acquisition journey is a bout with Rodolfo Bellato, who is fighting for the first time since his odd No Contest against Paul Craig in June.
The Brazilian has shown good potential in his knockout win over Ihor Potieria and fought Jimmy Crute to a draw, but Stirling is confident that he has the goods to put Bellato away early.
“(Bellato) really likes to impose his physical size on the opponent, and I feel like his biggest strength is also his biggest weakness because of that,” Stirling said. “He'll just lull himself in and sort of stomp along. He kind of melts a lot of dudes off just his physical size and pressure, but I just feel like he gets hit a lot too much.
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“If I'm hitting the same shots that I'm seeing him get hit with, he's not, going to be able to get back up.”
With that, the expectations are set. When the Octagon door locks, Stirling will lock-in as well, hoping to deliver his best performance yet.
UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs Reyes took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on September 27, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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