Navajo Stirling continued to roll in his young octagon career at UFC Fight Night 271, and elevated his performance with his first promotional finish.
Stirling (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was once again patient in his approach against Bruno Lopes (14-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in Saturday’s light heavyweight bout at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, but as the fight wore on he hurt his opponent than battered him until referee Keith Peterson delivered a merciless stoppage at the 4:05 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):
Staying undefeated 😮💨
Navajo Stirling is the newest prospect to come from New Zealand!
[ #UFCSeattle | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/PbWkMmGDum
— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2026
Stirling, 28, who fights out of City Kickboxing and is a frequent training partner of event headliner Israel Adesanya, opened his UFC run with three consecutive decision wins. He showed he has finishing instincts against Lopes, however, and said afterward he’s looking to take a step up against a 20-fight divisional veteran.
“It feels amazing. I’m real happy. I put in the work for that one,” Stirling said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I was just trying to take my time in there and not rush it like I did before. … I want ‘The Hulk’ (Ion Cutelaba) next.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 271 results:
- Navajo Stirling def. Bruno Lopes via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 4:05
- Ricky Simon vs. Adrian Yanez ends in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Alexia Thainara def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Seattle video: Navajo Stirling calls out Ion Cutelaba after TKO win
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