{"id":752193,"date":"2026-06-22T05:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T05:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/752193\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T05:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T05:02:11","slug":"navajo-stirling-admits-to-facing-most-adversity-in-mma-career-vs-ion-cutelaba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/752193\/","title":{"rendered":"Navajo Stirling admits to facing most adversity in MMA career vs. Ion Cutelaba"},"content":{"rendered":"

Navajo
\nStirling<\/a> had to face adversity like never before against
\nIon
\nCutelaba<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stirling arguably faced his biggest step up in competition against
\nCutelaba at
\nUFC Fight Night 279<\/a> on Saturday in Las Vegas. Cutelaba caught
\nStirling in a standing guillotine early on, eventually dragging him
\nto the ground. While Cutelaba\u2019s guillotine seemed seriously
\nthreatening at one point, Stirling managed to pull his head out.
\nBoth fighters were going back and forth in the second round before
\nStirling reversed a takedown and unleashed lethal ground-and-pound
\non a seated Cutelaba to secure a stoppage win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stirling subsequently revealed that he had never faced adversity
\nlike he did when Cutelaba jumped the guillotine. The undefeated
\nKiwi believes the experience of surviving that adversity will add
\nto his mental arsenal. However, Stirling notes that while he faced
\nsuch a threat in a fight for the first time, he regularly drills
\nbeing in stressful positions at the
\nCity Kickboxing<\/a> gym in Auckland, New Zealand.Valuable Experience
\n
\n\u201cHe was stronger and dangerous a little bit longer than I
\nexpected,\u201d Stirling said in a post-fight interview with the UFC.
\n\u201cHe had me in some bad positions. I really had to work out of it. I
\nhad never really been put there before in a fight. So, it was like
\na good finishing moment, and also more rounds in the bank, more
\nexperience in those bad positions to work out of mentally\u2026 CKB, at
\nthe gym I know not just how to play the hammer, but how to play the
\nnail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stirling (10-0) has five
\nUFC<\/a> wins \u2014 with two finishes \u2014 since making his debut in 2024.
\nMeanwhile, Cutelaba (20-12) has now dropped two of his last three
\noutings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’ve never been there before in a
\nfight.”<\/p>\n

Navajo
\nStirling<\/a> battles adversity early on, and bounces back to extend
\nhis record to 10-0 at
\n#UFCVegas119<\/a><\/p>\n

Main Card Results \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/LzpMSWtPYx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/I2fiGJmTAs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UFC News (@UFCNews)
\nJune 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n