Latest news with #Erslan
1News
11-05-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Kiwi light heavyweight Navajo Stirling continues unblemished MMA record
Kiwi UFC fighter Navajo Stirling left it late, but he delivered as promised. The light heavyweight took his unblemished MMA record to 7-0 on Sunday with an emphatic unanimous decision win over Croatian veteran Ivan Erslan. A highly competitive 13 minutes made way for a dominant ending to the bout, as Stirling left his opponent scrambling to survive to the bell. A perfect picture cross landed flush on Erslan's chin and sent him rocking backward into the cage. Stirling happily accepted the invitation and unleashed several unanswered shots in a brutal barrage before he clipped the Croation on the back of the head and he crumbled to the canvas. Stirling rained down even more punishment as Erslan was saved by the bell. The Kiwi found mixed success across the opening two rounds, largely relying on kicks as he ate several stiff jabs from Erslan. Spending plenty of time clinched against the cage, Stirling also demonstrated his grappling IQ as he reversed several precarious positions. Encouraged by his corner to close the distance and let his hands go, Stirling bided his time before unleashing the vicious game changing shot. "I talked it up aye so I gotta show up, I turned it back on after things not going my way," he said in his post-fight interview. Stirling admitted to believing he had done enough to end it after landing. "I thought he was already gone. Do I sprawl or keep hitting him?"
NZ Herald
11-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
UFC 315: Navajo Stirling beats Ivan Erslan to remain unbeaten
'Honestly I thought he was already gone when I felt him under me,' Stirling said of the late moments in the fight. 'I had to quickly change and sprawl on him. It was just trying to choose which one - do I sprawl or do I keep hitting him? But yeah, I was trying to play up for the crowd.' Stirling, the most inexperienced athlete on the card in just his seventh professional bout, looked every bit the seasoned veteran as he mixed striking and grappling, wore down his opponent and picked his moments well. He also withstood an early onslaught from Erslan, who looked to make sure Stirling felt his power inside the opening two minutes. It was billed as a clash of striking styles; Stirling coming in with a decorated kickboxing background, Erslan a well-drilled boxer who showed as much in his UFC debut. Erslan showed his hand early, throwing big shots to test the defences of his Kiwi rival. Stirling wore a couple of shots, but took them well and maintained his composure. Finding success with his kicks, taking advantage of Erslan's high, tight guard and going to the body and legs, Stirling was allowed to dictate the pace of the fight as Erslan sat back looking for counters after scoring plenty with the judges early. With the Croatian taking the first round - the entirety of which played out on the feet - Erslan shot for a takedown inside the opening minute of the second. Stirling defended it well before turning the position and securing the takedown for himself. The Kiwi showed glimpses of his grappling to control Erslan on the ground, before the pair finally got back to their feet with less than two minutes to play with. Neither could land anything of significance in that time and it felt like the third round would decide it. Both men fought as though they knew it too, but it was Stirling who capitalised on his opportunity as he connected with a straight right hand through the guard to wobble Erslan. The Croatian recovered and egged Stirling on, and the two traded blows; Stirling again getting the better of Erslan. Stirling hunted for the finish inside the final minute of the fight, but Erslan defended well enough to make it to the final horn.
NZ Herald
07-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
UFC 315: Navajo Stirling meets Ivan Erslan in return to octagon after banner year
'The whole part was getting my foot in the door, and now that my foot is in the door, I've come into this year relinquishing all of my praise and all of that. I feel like I'm back on the bottom, I'm starting all over again. 'I'm coming in here on the prelims, no one has a lick of who [I am], they don't know anything about me. All they've heard about me is hype.' Reflecting on how things have changed since making his UFC debut last December, Stirling said his fire and passion for his work had been reignited. 'For the years leading up to the UFC, it was getting a little distant. I held on, but when you're always coming in and fighting guys you're meant to beat and you're the favourite, and just getting a fight is tough enough, I felt in some of those fights like I was cruising. Even though I was getting crazy finishes and crazy wins, I didn't have that dark hunger in me to really pull the trigger with that emotional intent. I didn't have that. 'I was just kind of in robot mode, but now that fire is being relit and I feel like I've got that insatiable hunger. I'm going to be hitting with bad intentions, that emotional content is back inside me. I'm really looking to launch it this fight.' Stirling and Erslan will be making the walk to the octagon for the second time, with the Croatian falling to a split decision loss against veteran Ion Cutelaba in his promotional debut. It's a match-up that fans should have circled on the run sheet, with plenty of power and striking-dominant athletes on both sides of the cage. 'The level is high. That's what I've been preparing for [with] all my skills so that when I get to the highest heights and things like athleticism and punching power, everybody has that. 'We've got to bring it down to who's got the better skills. I believe that's what I've been preparing for and even though I've only had six [MMA] fights, he's got three times more experience than me, [but] I believe I've got a better skill set. 'I've fought heaps of guys like him, I've broken opponents down you know, these slow plodders that try and get you in the later rounds. The thing about me, I like to fight on the back foot forward and I don't get tired so I'm looking to really showcase what I have.'
