New Zealand's Navajo Stirling scored the biggest win of his career on Saturday, knocking out former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz with a first-round jab at UFC Fight Night in Belgrade, Serbia.
Stirling's finish came early in the opening round, part of a card that set a UFC record for finishes, with 12 of the event's 14 bouts ending before the judges' scorecards were needed and 10 of those concluding inside the first round. The Belgrade show marked the promotion's first event in Serbia and was headlined by Uroš Medić's 30-second knockout of Daniel Rodriguez in the main event, but Stirling's win over a recognizable former titleholder stood out as one of the card's marquee results.
Błachowicz, who held the UFC light heavyweight title in 2020 and 2021, has remained a fixture in the division's upper ranks for years despite recent mixed results. His stoppage loss to Stirling adds to a run of tougher outings for the Polish veteran as younger contenders continue to push through the light heavyweight and, in Stirling's case, the surrounding weight classes.
For Stirling, the knockout represents a significant step up in profile, giving him a signature win over a fighter with a UFC title on his résumé. The finish is likely to factor into how matchmakers view his positioning within the division going forward, with a statement performance of this kind typically prompting discussion of ranked opponents for his next assignment.
The Belgrade card's overwhelming finish rate drew attention from fans and analysts as one of the most action-heavy events in UFC history, with Stirling's win over Błachowicz among the results fueling that reputation. The promotion has not yet confirmed opponents for either fighter going forward.
UFC's schedule continues at pace, with UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld set for August 8 and the promotion's next numbered event, UFC 330, headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and challenger Ian Machado Garry, scheduled for August 15 in Philadelphia. Stirling's next fight is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
