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Navajo Stirling got his chance to break into the upper tier of the light heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 283 and took full advantage with a finish of former champion Jan Blachowicz.
Stirling (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) accepted the fight as a replacement for Bogdan Guskov on less than two weeks' notice, and he came and landed and early massive left hand that send Blachowicz (29-12-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) flying across the cage. The Kiwi pounced and landed some slicing elbows and didn't stop throwing until the referee intervened for the TKO at the 2:56 mark of Round 1 in the light heavyweight bout at Belgrade Arena in Serbia.
Check out the replay of Stirling's shining performance below (via X):
After the fight, Stirling thanked the 43-year-old Blachowicz for his contributions to the weight class over the years and the opportunity to fight. Then, he took aim at the next names that will carry him forward toward a 205-pound title shot.
"If (Khalil) Rountree or (Paulo) Costa wants to fight before the year ends, you know who to call," Stirling said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. "1-800-I'm-Going-to-Whip-That-Ass."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Belgrade video: Navajo Stirling TKOs Jan Blachowicz in under 3 minutes
Continue reading...
Stirling (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) accepted the fight as a replacement for Bogdan Guskov on less than two weeks' notice, and he came and landed and early massive left hand that send Blachowicz (29-12-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) flying across the cage. The Kiwi pounced and landed some slicing elbows and didn't stop throwing until the referee intervened for the TKO at the 2:56 mark of Round 1 in the light heavyweight bout at Belgrade Arena in Serbia.
Check out the replay of Stirling's shining performance below (via X):
After the fight, Stirling thanked the 43-year-old Blachowicz for his contributions to the weight class over the years and the opportunity to fight. Then, he took aim at the next names that will carry him forward toward a 205-pound title shot.
"If (Khalil) Rountree or (Paulo) Costa wants to fight before the year ends, you know who to call," Stirling said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. "1-800-I'm-Going-to-Whip-That-Ass."
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 283 results:
- Navajo Stirling def. Jan Blachowicz via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:56
- Aleksandar Rakic def. Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Robert Valentin def. Dusko Todorovic via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:14
- Gilbert Urbina def. Vlasto Cepo via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:01
- Noah Gugnon def. Milos Janicic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:21
- Tofiq Musayev def. Ludovit Klein via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
- Michael Oliveira def. Oban Elliott via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:49
- Borislav Nikolic def. Mark Vologdin via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Bogdan Grad def. Dennis Buzukja via submission (arm-triangle) – Round 2, 4:33
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Kyle Prepolec via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 4:41
- Nina Milosevic def. Hailey Cowan via TKO (body shot) – Round 1, 3:41
- Jovan Leka def. Alexander Poppeck via TKO (liver kick) – Round 1, 2:22
- Stephanie Luciano def. Marina Spasic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:20
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Belgrade video: Navajo Stirling TKOs Jan Blachowicz in under 3 minutes
Continue reading...
