Stirling Remains Undefeated
Navajo Stirling Extends Undefeated Streak with Second-Round TKO Victory at UFC Vegas 119 Co-Main Event
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Undefeated light heavyweight Navajo Stirling improved to 10-0 on Saturday night, stopping Ion Cutelaba via TKO at 3:23 of the second round in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 119 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Stirling survived a dangerous first round before taking over with relentless ground-and-pound to finish the Moldovan veteran.
Cutelaba, a 10-year UFC veteran known as "The Hulk," entered the fight with a record of 20-12-1. He came close to finishing Stirling in Round 1 with a deep guillotine choke. But Stirling escaped, adjusted, and made him pay in Round 2.
Stirling Survives Round 1 Scare Before Finishing Cutelaba
Cutelaba set the early pace with aggressive grappling. He locked in a deep guillotine choke that put Stirling in real danger. Stirling scrambled out and moved into top position, but Cutelaba swept and controlled much of Round 1 on the mat, according to MMA Weekly.
Round 2 was a different story. Stirling found his range and pressed Cutelaba against the fence. He took top position and unloaded punches until the referee stepped in at 3:23. Cageside Press described the win as Stirling "surviving chaos" before his superior conditioning took over as Cutelaba tired.
City Kickboxing Prospect Rises From Contender Series to Contender
Stirling entered the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series in 2024. He trains at City Kickboxing in New Zealand alongside UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Head coach Eugene Bareman has guided a deliberate, slow-build approach to his career, according to Sport Nation.
Stirling was criticized early in his UFC run for three straight decision wins. He silenced doubters with a TKO of Bruno Lopes in March 2026, and Saturday's win over Cutelaba — a proven gatekeeper who has faced Jared Cannonier and Glover Teixeira — marks his jump from prospect to contender, per MMA Weekly.
Stirling Had the Size Edge and Said the Finish Would Come
The tale of the tape heavily favored Stirling. He stands 6'4" to Cutelaba's 6'1" and holds a 79-inch reach against Cutelaba's 75 inches. Both fighters made the 205-pound light heavyweight limit at Friday's weigh-ins, per UFC staff reports. Stirling closed as a heavy -350 betting favorite, with Cutelaba at +260 on DraftKings.
Stirling had said before the fight that patience was the key. "I've got this guy's number," he told Cageside Press. "You really got to just shut down his momentum, not let him build, and I think the finish will present itself." Cutelaba, for his part, had vowed before the fight to "die inside that Octagon" to get the win, per MMA Mania.
What Comes Next for the 10-0 Light Heavyweight
With a 10-0 record and a finish over a recognized name, Stirling is expected to crack the UFC light heavyweight top 15 in the next ranking update, according to MMA Weekly. Analysts point to a matchup with another fringe-ranked veteran — such as Modestas Bukauskas — as a logical next step to further test his grappling.
Stirling's growing profile also opens doors outside the US. His win increases his marketability in the Oceania region, and he is now seen as a strong candidate to co-headline a future UFC card in Sydney or Auckland. For Cutelaba, the loss — his 12th in the UFC — has sparked debate online about whether "The Hulk" can still compete at the top of the division.
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