Navajo Stirling

Stirling took the former light heavyweight champion out inside a round. A stiff Blachowicz jab forced him to a knee early, but Stirling answered with a clean right hand that sent Blachowicz backwards, chased him to the mat and opened him up with heavy ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in at 2:56.

Key moments

• A Blachowicz jab forced Stirling to a knee in the opening exchanges.
• Stirling replied with a right hand that sent Blachowicz backwards.
• Ground-and-pound split Blachowicz open and ended it at 2:56 of round one.

In a striking-heavy matchup, Stirling edged the boxer Ivan Erslan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27) at UFC 315 in Montreal. He defended Erslan's takedown attempts, mixed in his own, and nearly finished late when a flush cross buckled Erslan against the cage.

Key moments

• Erslan took an early round on the feet before Stirling defended his takedown and turned the position.
• A clean cross rocked Erslan into the cage late, and Stirling opened up with an unanswered barrage.
• Erslan survived to the final horn, but all three judges scored it for Stirling (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).