The final card of the year, UFC Tampa: Covington vs Buckley, is a surprisingly stacked way to round out 2024 – with a host of household names and newcomers getting a Florida feature.
One of those promotional newcomers fans should keep an eye on is light heavyweight Navajo Stirling, who credits “The Last Stylebender” for his stellar run in the UFC.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Navajo Stirling reveals how Israel Adesanya influenced his MMA career
One of the standout fighters from Season 8 of Dana White's Contender Series was New Zealand's Navajo Stirling, who was matched against Israel Adesanya after a brutal second-round knockout in September.
Some fans even joked that the 5-0 Kiwi should be nicknamed “The White Izzy” – something Stirling considers a major achievement in itself.
“I definitely see the comparison in some styles [and] stylistic movements,” Stirling acknowledged in an interview with David Adesanya, the brother of the former champion.
“Growing up, when I didn't know anything about fighting, I watched Israel Adesanya [for] For a long time, before he even knew me… I stole his every move; I took as many moves as I could from all the fights I could watch.
“I've watched pretty much every fight he's had on YouTube. As well as training in the gym with Eugene, showing me personally the moves, not just my own interpretation of them.
Stirling now trains at City Kickboxing under the watchful eye of both Adesanya and his legendary coach Eugene Bareman, with the 5-0 protégé taking every lesson he can from the iconic duo.
'Yes, it's okay [relationships]He's obviously the big brother in the gym, he's been at the forefront of City Kickboxing for a long time, and for me, he's been my idol for so long.
“I have followed him very closely, the way he portrays his emotions and himself. I've always found him to be one of the most interesting people I've ever encountered – I've never met anyone like him.
“I just try to copy what I can and essentially make it my own thing,” teased the popular newcomer, who is already keen to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of CKB superstars.
“All the advice he's given me over the years, he's been a really good role model for me and all our other teammates…. Especially being the youngest on the team coming through, I'm the middle kid in the gym, the leader of the young guys.
“I just hope to help someone else, the next Navajo under me.”
Navajo Stirling returns to action at UFC Tampa against Tuco Tokkos
The UFC clearly sees potential in Navajo Stirling, otherwise they wouldn't have put his fight against Tuco Tokkos on the main card of this weekend's Fight Night event in Tampa, Florida.
Tukkos may have a positive professional record at 10-4, but his UFC debut in May was anything but impressive; submitted by Oumar Sy in the first few minutes of the first round.
While we'd be cautious about labeling this fight as a layup for Stirling, the New Zealander is expected to make short work of the British 205lber, with around 95% of Tapology Community Picks in favor of the CKB student goes.
Stirling vs Tokkos kicks off a stacked main card.
- Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
- Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
- Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez
- Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley airs live from Tampa, Florida on Saturday, December 14.
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