Speaking to the Herald earlier this month when his bout against Blachowicz was announced, Stirling said he backed Adesanya in the next phase of his career. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s looking to get that resurgence going, and sometimes, I said to him, you know, like a new opportunity, new surroundings isn\u2019t a bad thing. So, no, I was rapt for him. <\/p>\n
Navajo Stirling has won both his bouts in 2026 by inside the distance. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the right move for him just to find a spark or maybe someone [to] show you something different that completely changes your game. I think it\u2019s a good opportunity for Israel. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve flicked him a message, and I\u2019ve talked to him vaguely, just like wishing him the best, and we\u2019re all here at the gym, still going to be there for him if he wants to come back and, yeah, I just offered my hand if he ever needs help too. I\u2019m stoked for the guy.\u201d <\/p>\n
Throughout his mixed martial arts career, Stirling has been referred to as Adesanya\u2019s protege, with some similarities in how the two go about their work, though Stirling fights at light heavyweight, a step above middleweight. <\/p>\n
This weekend\u2019s bout against Blachowicz will be the first time Stirling has fought someone in the UFC that Adesanya has also fought, with the Polish fighter defending his light heavyweight title against the Nigerian-Kiwi in 2021 as Adesanya tried to become a two-division champion. <\/p>\n
Fellow teammate and current light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg also fought Blachowicz, claiming a unanimous decision win in 2025. <\/p>\n
Stirling said he hadn\u2019t asked Adesanya or Ulberg about any quirks Blachowicz might have inside the cage. But, given their familiarity with Blachowicz, Stirling felt his team were well prepared, despite the limited preparation time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all our own fighters. Like, I don\u2019t need the help. My coaches, they gave me all the reads and stuff that I needed. So, the boys, they just place their trust in me,\u201d Stirling said ahead of this weekend\u2019s card.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know I\u2019m going to smash it. I\u2019ve got their fights to look at and obviously the experience from the coaches to break it down with them and just do what I think is best for this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
A win over the 43-year-old would likely see Stirling jump into the top five in the light heavyweight rankings but, all going to plan, it won\u2019t be the final stop on Stirling\u2019s 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much time left in the year. If I can make this year my year and for it to be something for everyone to remember, like \u20322026 Nav was just on smoke from January to December, he was just smashing everyone, in the gym, having fun outside the gym, going on holidays and fighting and just living it up.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are going to talk about this year, about me, like 2016 LeBron James-type s***, you know what I mean? Everyone\u2019s just going to be going crazy. So I plan to not just finish off with this one, I want a big fight after this. [But] I\u2019m not really thinking too much about fights after, I\u2019m just thinking about the current fight at hand, so I\u2019m just to suss that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an opportunity that came out of the blue for Stirling, getting the call after Blachowicz\u2019s original opponent, Bogdan Guskov, took up an offer to be an injury replacement against No 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev in last week\u2019s main event. <\/p>\n
Stirling had to get straight back into training mode on arrival home from a trip to Japan, taking some time to enjoy himself after a second-round TKO win over Moldovan Ion Cutelaba in late June. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverything I did in Japan just made memories forever, you know, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s about. I deserved that after an emphatic<\/a> win,\u201d Stirling said.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope they do a UFC Japan and put me on there too. I\u2019m hoping to build a Japanese fan base and go over there a little bit more often. I actually vlogged my whole journey while I was over there, but we didn\u2019t get it edited in time before this fight, and I was like, \u2018Oh, maybe we\u2019ll put it up after the fight\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a mad place. They\u2019re just living in the future, those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n