Stirling Stops Blachowicz In Record-Setting First Round

Navajo Stirling stopped Jan Blachowicz in the first round at UFC Belgrade, landing a massive right hand before finishing the former champion with elbows and punches on the canvas. The finish came at 2:56 of the opening frame and pushed Stirling's record to 11-0.

Stirling accepted the co-main event on short notice but entered as the betting favorite. Blachowicz clipped him with a left hook early and wobbled his legs, per MMA Mania, but Stirling recovered and controlled distance with low kicks and jabs. The New Zealand fighter then stepped forward with a one-two combination that floored Blachowicz, who hit the mat in a bloody heap. Stirling followed with heavy ground strikes until the referee intervened.

Stirling's Statement Performance At heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">Light Heavyweight

The win marked Stirling's ninth first-round finish on the card, which set a new UFC promotional record for most opening-frame stoppages on a single event, according to MMA Mania. Former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad wrote on Twitter that Stirling "just cemented himself as a contender," per MMA Fighting. Journalist Aaron Bronsteter called it "a statement performance," adding that Stirling "is the real deal."

Stirling had never finished an opponent with striking power like this in the octagon. The 28-year-old enters title contention at 205 pounds but faces a complication: current UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg trains alongside him at City Kickboxing. Blachowicz dropped to 29-12-2 and has now gone winless in his last four outings, including losses to Ulberg and Alex Pereira.

UFC Belgrade took place Saturday at Belgrade Arena in Serbia and aired live on Paramount Plus.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — ‘Just cemented himself as a contender’: Pros react to Navajo Stirling’s stunning knockout over Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade | MMA Fighting
• mmamania.com — UFC Belgrade Highlights! Stirling Ices Blachowicz With Record-Setting KO | MMA Mania
• mmamania.com — UFC Belgrade results: Navajo Stirling surprises Jan Blachowicz with violent knockout win | MMA Mania
• bjpenn.com — Pros react after Navajo Stirling TKO's Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade | BJPenn.com