Navajo Stirling knew beating Ion Cutelaba meant surviving chaos, and that’s exactly what he did.
The undefeated light heavyweight weathered the Moldovan’s early grappling attacks, refused to fall for his veteran tricks, and turned the tide in the second round with a relentless ground and pound assault that earned him the biggest win of his young UFC career at UFC Vegas 119.
Round 1 – The tension was obvious before the opening bell. Cutelaba and Stirling exchanged an intense stare-down during introductions, and when the fight finally started, neither man wasted any time.
Cutelaba came out winging a big overhand right before immediately changing levels for a takedown, driving Stirling into the fence. Stirling reversed the position, but the veteran quickly snatched up a guillotine choke that forced the unbeaten prospect into a brief moment of panic.
Cutelaba held onto the choke as Stirling managed to drag the fight to the mat, only for the Moldovan to sweep and end up on top. Once he finally let go of the submission, Stirling scrambled back to his feet before another takedown attempt of his own was stuffed with ease.
Back on the feet, Stirling started settling into the fight. He found success behind a sharp jab and crisp one-two combinations, while Cutelaba kept loading up on looping overhand rights, looking for one big shot to change everything.
Then Stirling landed what looked like his biggest strike of the round—a nasty knee that appeared to rock Cutelaba. Whether he was actually hurt or simply baiting Stirling into overcommitting was anybody’s guess, but the veteran sold it well.
Stirling stayed disciplined.
Instead of rushing in, he clinched Cutelaba against the fence, only for the veteran to reverse the position with another takedown. Stirling wasted little time getting back to his feet, but Cutelaba clipped him with a sharp elbow on the break.
Moments later, Stirling landed another clean shot that once again had Cutelaba looking wobbly. This time, though, the undefeated Kiwi wasn’t taking the bait. He stayed patient, kept his distance, and refused to give the crafty veteran the opening he was looking for.
Round 2 – Cutelaba came out for the second round with a different look, mixing in leg kicks and push kicks before going right back to what he does best, marching forward throwing heavy overhand rights. The pressure forced Stirling onto the back foot early, but the unbeaten Kiwi answered with kicks to the legs and head to keep the veteran honest.
Cutelaba clipped Stirling with a sharp elbow and changed levels for a takedown, but thought better of it when a spinning elbow came whizzing past his head.
Stirling started finding a home for slicing elbows of his own and even briefly scored a takedown. It didn’t last long.
Cutelaba immediately latched onto a kimura grip and used it to create a wild scramble. Even as it looked like Stirling might take his back, the Moldovan refused to let go of the submission. That persistence paid off, as Cutelaba reversed the position and found himself on top, unloading heavy ground-and-pound while Stirling worked his way back to his feet.
Once they separated, Stirling looked like the fresher fighter. He snapped Cutelaba’s head back with clean punches and dug a hard knee into the body before the veteran answered with another body lock and takedown.
But this time, Stirling had the answer.
The undefeated prospect immediately reversed the position, jumped on top, and unleashed a relentless barrage of punches. Cutelaba covered up but couldn’t escape as Stirling poured on the offense, forcing the referee to step in and wave it off.
With the biggest win of his career, Navajo Stirling stayed undefeated and announced himself as a legitimate player in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Official Result: Navajo Stirling def. Ion Cutelaba via R2 TKO, 3:23
