Navajo Stirling after winning King in the Ring. Photo: Supplied/ Lion Pit Gym
Kiwi UFC fighter Navajo Stirling left it late, but he delivered as promised.
The light heavyweight took his unblemished MMA record to 7-0 on Sunday with an emphatic unanimous decision win over Croatian veteran Ivan Erslan.
A highly competitive 13 minutes made way for a dominant ending to the bout, as Stirling left his opponent scrambling to survive to the bell.
A perfect picture cross landed flush on Erslan's chin and sent him rocking backward into the cage.
Stirling happily accepted the invitation and unleashed several unanswered shots in a brutal barrage before he clipped the Croation on the back of the head and he crumbled to the canvas.
Stirling rained down even more punishment as Erslan was saved by the bell.
The Kiwi found mixed success across the opening two rounds, largely relying on kicks as he ate several stiff jabs from Erslan.
Spending plenty of time clinched against the cage,
Stirling also demonstrated his grappling IQ as he reversed several precarious positions.
Encouraged by his corner to close the distance and let his hands go, Stirling bided his time before unleashing the vicious game changing shot.
"I talked it up aye so I gotta show up, I turned it back on after things not going my way," he said in his post-fight interview.
Stirling admitted to believing he had done enough to end it after landing.
"I thought he was already gone. Do I sprawl or keep hitting him?"
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