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Navajo Stirling scored the biggest victory of his career so far, knocking out Jan Błachowicz in the very first round of the UFC Belgrade event. Despite his spectacular victory, the New Zealander made no secret of his immense respect for the organization’s former champion.
Originally, Jan Błachowicz was supposed to face Bogdan Guskov. However, the Uzbek agreed to step in as a last-minute replacement for the main event against Magomed Ankalaev, prompting the organization to pair the Pole with Navajo Stirling. For Guskov, the change proved painful—he lost to the Russian before the final bell. Unfortunately, luck also eluded the “Prince of Cieszyn,” who had to concede defeat to his younger opponent.
In the co-main event of UFC Belgrade, Błachowicz faced the undefeated City Kickboxing fighter. The start of the bout suggested a closely contested fight, but everything changed after Stirling landed a powerful right hook. The punch sent the Pole to the canvas, and a flurry of strikes on the ground forced the referee to stop the fight before the end of the first round.
For the 28-year-old New Zealander, this was by far the most significant victory of his professional career. Both immediately after the fight and during the press conference, he made no secret of the fact that defeating Błachowicz meant a great deal to him.
– I always rooted for Jan during his fights. I was always rooting for him. I realized what my position was here. I could see that the fans weren’t on my side in this fight. Jan is a well-known name, so it was bittersweet. Well, it was either him or me… I really wanted to win,” said Stirling.
The New Zealander also admitted that he had expected a much tougher and longer bout. He was surprised himself that he managed to end the fight in the first round.
– I was expecting a grueling battle, because Jan hadn’t really been finished since 2017. I think that was the last time he lost after taking some hits. So I was expecting a much longer evening, but I landed a clean shot on him and it was all over.
Stirling also revealed that during his preparations, he and his team analyzed Błachowicz’s recent loss to Carlos Ulberg. As he admitted, the light heavyweight champion helped him identify elements that he later put to use in the Octagon.
– We incorporated a few elements from Carlos [Ulberg]’s fight. These are the elements that worked. I have to thank Carlos for that. We used certain techniques that we were still trying to refine.
Stirling’s words show that, despite his spectacular victory, he hasn’t forgotten to respect his opponents. Defeating the former UFC champion was a defining moment for him, but the New Zealander himself emphasizes that Jan Błachowicz has remained one of the fighters he has admired most for years.
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