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'I want to be undeniable': Kiwi newcomer Stirling primed to steal show in UFC debut
Stephen Foote • December 11th, 2024 3:30 pm
Navajo Stirling will finally have the opportunity to justify the hype surrounding his arrival in the UFC in his highly anticipated promotional debut this weekend.
On Sunday (NZ time), the Upper Hutt native faces Brit Tuco Tokkos at the UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, where he'll become the latest City Kickboxing product to take to the Octagon.
In September, The 27-year-old earned his spot on the roster via the now commonplace means of Dana White's Contender Series, where his show-stealing second-round knockout made the UFC boss' decision to award him a multi-fight deal straightforward.
While on the face of it, the outcome that day was ideal for Stirling, underpinning his performance that day were preparations that were far from ideal. Stirling suffered two staph infections during the camp, which resulted in a brutal weight cut that was far more taxing than it would typically have been.
Since then, it's been a case of nose-to-the-grindstone for Stirling, who's been working diligently in his central Auckland lab under head trainer Eugene Bareman to gain whatever advantage possible ahead of his fully fledged debut and show fans getting to grips with his name what he's truly capable of.
"Definitely adding a few more things to my game with the short time that I did have," Stirling told Sport Nation.
"I'm a pretty fast learner, so I like to capitalise on certain moments where I felt vulnerable in my previous fight and just kind of sharpened those so I don't make that mistake again.
"I just want to be undeniable and keep the ball rolling - keep the steam rolling while it's hot and show everyone who I am."
This year has been torrid for Stirling, as he's charged head on towards his goal of getting his moment on a UFC stage.
This weekend will mark his fourth fight in a little over six months, the kind of momentum he believes will serve him well when the Octagon door shuts in front of a packed house at Amalie Arena.
Stirling follows in the footsteps on a well trodden path of Kiwi kickboxing converts to make the transition to MMA at the highest level, with the likes of Israel Adesanya, Carlos Ulberg, and Blood Diamond among his fellow King in the Ring champions to make the switch.
That desire to test himself on the mats in Auckland to gain a genuine litmus test of his capabilities was the initial motivation for his relocation north, after getting a brief taste of what was on offer after tagging along with his brother one fateful night in 2021.
Bareman told Stirling he had the kind of potential he could mould into UFC fighter material in "two to three years" - and that projection ultimately proved eerily on target.
That time surrounded by world calibre fighters, upskilling by osmosis, has been an immeasurable factor in getting him where he is right now.
"I wanted to know how good I really was when I wasn't training at City Kickboxing," he recalled.
"Then when I moved there, it made me realise, I might not be there yet, but I've definitely got the potential to be. Training with them, it made me realise like I'm at that level now.
"All it is now is just dealing with the experience, being put in all these different types of situations with different kinds of fighters and coming out on top, and then I'll really be able to solidify myself as a really, really, really valid MMA fighter."
His bout against Tokkos - whose only UFC bout resulted in a first-round submission defeat back in May - is widely expected to be a showcase for Stirling, who has all the attributes required stylistically to become the next UFC star.
But never one to take the easy road, Stirling believes being put in some compromising positions - particularly in the grappling department - on Sunday would actually help him improve in the long term.
"I'm just really eager to be put in some situations as well," Stirling admitted. "Sometimes fights don't go the best, but I'm open to being put in some bad situations and having to work my way through them.
"Ideally, I want that experience. I want people to test me. I want to show people that I can overcome those peaks and valleys.
"It's not always pretty, but if I can come out on top and in a good fashion, I think there's always a huge plus to take away from that in terms of my development, because essentially I'm learning on the job."
