UFC Seattle found light heavyweight Navajo Stirling looking to remain perfect inside the octagon when he took on “Brazilian Cowboy” Bruno Lopes.
Lopes was 1-1 in the UFC coming into the fight, hoping to rebound from a loss against Dustin Jacoby last May.
Stirling took the center of the octagon to open the striking, landing a high volume of low kicks before mixing in a few jabs to Lopes’ chest. Lopes answered with a couple of low kicks of his own, then began working his boxing, landing a clean hook on Stirling’s chin.
As the two men went back and forth, Navajo Stirling responded to Lopes’ offense with a slicing high kick that partially landed on his opponent’s head. Slightly rocked, Bruno Lopes shot for a takedown, but it was quickly denied by the City Kickboxing prospect. Oozing confidence, Stirling continued to land at a steady clip on the feet. Before the end of the round, Lopes attempted two more takedowns, but again Stirling proved to be the better man, using his athleticism to muscle out of Lopes’ grasp.
Round two began with Stirling pushing the pace early, this time landing a beautiful flush knee to the body that drew a reaction from the “Brazilian Cowboy.” With Stirling leading the dance, Bruno Lopes continued to change levels in search of a takedown, but he was repeatedly denied.
With an exhausted Bruno Lopes in range, Stirling landed his biggest strikes of the night: a combination of right and left hooks that sent the Brazilian to the ground. Stirling followed up with a barrage of strikes, and to Dominick Cruz’s pleasure, referee Keith Peterson gave Lopes every opportunity to escape the hellfire Stirling was bringing.
After a full minute of brutal ground-and-pound, the fight was finally waved off, with Navajo Stirling emerging victorious.
Stirling remains undefeated as he earns his first UFC knockout, calling out Ion Cuțelaba for his next matchup in the light heavyweight division.
Official Result: Navajo Stirling def. Bruno Lopes by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:05
