Two light heavyweights who prefer the knockout will square off in
the preliminary headliner. Stirling (7-0, 0-0 UFC) out of City
Kickboxing has never tasted defeat, while Bellato (12-2-1, 1 NC;
1-0-1, 1 NC UFC) is unbeaten in the Octagon with a fairly unusual
three-fight stretch in it. Referee Mike Beltran dons his proverbial
hard hat ahead of what should be a striker’s delight, one that
commences with no sight of a glove touch. With Bellato coming at him, Stirling is prepped and ready with long
push kicks and straight punches. Bellato swipes at him with a left
hook, using it to close the distance between them and tie them up.
Bellato stalls out the position in the clinch, getting off a knee
or two but finding himself taking some solid elbows up close. The
elbows from Stirling allow him to turn the tables and put Bellato’s
back to the wall, where he starts beating on his foe with right
hands. Stirling tries for a spinning elbow on the break, but it
bounces off the shoulder. They trade heavy leg kicks, and it is
Bellato who follows with a front kick. Stirling wings a right hand
that skims the top of the head, and he plants a one-two down the
pipe right after. The City Kickboxing prospect rips the body a few
times with his fists, and then aims his kicks to the same spot. Bellato unloads with power strikes, one of his winging kicks
brushing the cup, and nothing happens other than Bellato getting
close enough to clinch again. Stirling breaks out of it and resets,
reaching a right hand behind the ear. Bellato checks a kick, but a
liver kick that follows lands flush. Stirling stays committed to
body work even with Bellato headhunting him, and his own offense
reminds Bellato that he too can attack the midsection. A few
punches to the torso from Bellato lead into a clinch, and like the
previous times, Stirling frees himself. Two body shots lead to a
pair upstairs, and Stirling opens up with power punches to all
targets. Bellato counters with a powerful knee on the jaw, and
Stirling reels and then comes back firing with more blows. Before
punching himself out, Stirling calms himself down and engages a
clinch on his own accord. Bellato sees an opening and spins with a
back fist that just misses, and they both flail at one another
until the horn sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stirling

Bellato practically sprints out of his corner to engage, but it is
Stirling who has the offense locked and loaded. In rapid
succession, the Kiwi fires off a pair of head kicks, and he works
the body and ducks when Bellato hurls a counter right hand his way.
In a brief clinch, Stirling strings a knee into several power
punches up top, and his forward pressure results in him considering
a takedown. When Stirling goes for it, he wrenches the Brazilian
off his feet and plops him down on the canvas. Landing in half
guard, Stirling starts landing strikes, and Bellato complains about
a foul he feels he sustained. Beltran tells him to fight on.
Stirling slowly but effectively drops down a number of left hands,
and Bellato defends himself by gripping hold of Stirling’s
wrist. Bellato recovers full guard, and his own few attacks off his back
open up Stirling’s nose and start the blood flowing. Stirling
stacks his opponent up to open the guard, and he winds up with a
fierce elbow that slashes off the top of the dome. Bellato sits up
and explodes to his feet, with Stirling still holding him tightly.
Bellato knees the body to break free, and he aims a few more
strikes to the midsection to give Stirling something to think
about. Stirling, meanwhile, wipes his nose and unloads with massive
power punches. Stirling backs off and jams the body with a few
kicks, and Bellato loads up on a heavy right hand. Bellato rips a
left to the body and a right to the head, and he dodges the
Stirling offense and counters with a left up top. When Stirling
sells out for a big strike, Bellato takes him to the floor. The
tepid round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bellato Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Bellato Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Bellato

The Brazilian wants to lead the dance, and he walks into a few long
punches and ignores them to swing a left hand over the guard.
Stirling goes to the body, and Bellato hurls a right hand at his
melon. Stirling fakes a takedown, and Bellato does the same thing
except he appears to want it after a brief odd clash. They both
trade heavy punches, and Stirling gets the worst of it but is not
compromised. Bellato takes a jabbing kick to the stomach, and jabs
fly from both men. Stirling hunts for a takedown, and Bellato turns
him about and rams him into the wall. The two separate, and Bellato
keeps after his opponent with jabs and power punches to the ribs. A
shot from Bellato follows the left to the body. Bellato sells out for the takedown, trying several different means
including a brief back take where he drags his man down using his
own weight against him. “Trator” succeeds in getting Stirling down
for a moment or two, but Stirling gets back up. Both men appear
quite fatigued, so the action slows to little more than a
prolonged, grueling clinch battle. Stirling spins to break, and
Bellato awkwardly spins back and has his fist bump off the guard.
Bellato shoots, and Stirling shuts it down and lets his hands go.
Bellato spins again, eats a counter right hand and then takes a
head kick. Stirling nails his foe with a right hand, and Bellato
responds with jabs and a failed capoeira kick. The round comes to a
close, and scores could be all over the map. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bellato (29-28 Bellato) Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (29-28 Stirling) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (29-28
Stirling)

A pair of strikers at 205 pounds will lead off the ESPN portion of
the prelims, when unbeaten Kiwi Stirling (6-0, 1-0 UFC) runs into
Croatian demolition man Erslan (14-4, 1 NC; 0-1 UFC). The two
celebrate 14 knockouts across their 20 combined victories, and
referee Erick Philippeaux is well aware that this could end with
one crushing blow. Before they try to lop one another’s head
off—figuratively, of course—they bump their large fists together.
Stirling strikes first with a half-hearted low kick to find his
distance, and Erslan comes out firing with two swiping punches that
miss the mark. Stirling pitches out a few more kicks to the leg and
body, and he aims one high but is out of range. Erslan catches him
at the end of a right hand, and the Croatian backs off and surges
forward with another pair of punches. Stirling comes up short on a
spinning wheel kick, and he settles down and chips away with kicks
from both legs. Erslan walks him down calmly, parrying a few
punches to get one over the top. Stirling kicks his man in the
ribs, and he has a trio of punches not land flush. Stirling does
score another body kick, and he jabs and reaches with a lead hook.
The body kick is the best weapon for the unbeaten fighter, who
keeps Erslan at bay with his longer legs. Erslan whiffs on a big
right hand, and Stirling hammers his front leg a few times as
Erslan stands awkwardly on it. Erslan swings for the fences with a
monster right hand, but it is his more measured hooks that connect.
Sterling again cannot find a home for his spin kick, with Erslan in
too close range to let it hit him. Erslan’s left hand opens a cut
on the inside corner of Stirling’s eyebrow. Stirling goes to the
body, and Erslan responds in kind. Stirling keeps chipping away
with kicks, and Erslan’s right bicep start to welt up. Stirling
jabs from afar a few times, and his leg kick scores more. Erslan
pushes him away and backs to the wall, looking for his left hook
but not finding it. They both swing hard, and Erslan connects with
it better and backs his man off. Stirling kicks his man in the
ribcage and has a low kick checked, and Erslan goes to the body and
head with counters. Stirling kicks and bangs into the arm that is
turning red in a hurry, and the round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Erslan Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Erslan Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Erslan

Erslan rushes out of his corner to engage, and he stings his foe
with a right hand but eats one back in response. Erslan suddenly
shoots in for a double-leg takedown, and the fans in the building
respond by booing loudly. Erslan manages to circle around to the
back of his foe, but he cannot keep him there as Stirling turns him
about. Stirling lifts Erslan’s leg up and drags him to the floor
awkwardly, and it is Erslan who has to fight off the wrestling.
Stirling hits a mat return, putting Erslan down lightly and
smacking him with a free right hand. Erslan gets to a knee and hits
a switch, and suddenly it is him again controlling the grappling.
The Croatian fighter gets in a few knees to the side while holding
on from the back, leaning heavily on Stirling against the cage.
Stirling once more turns him around and this time breaks free,
where Erslan quickly punches him square in the face. Stirling
responds with body kicks, and he aims a few punches to the ribs for
good measure. Erslan comes back over the top with a right hand, and
then misses with two subsequent looping hooks. Erslan swings hard
but is not able to find his target, and Stirling dances back and
kicks him. Stirling shoots, and Erslan pushes him away and nails
him with an overhand right. Erslan finds another on the same spot,
and a third when Stirling tries to slide to the side. Erslan rips a
few body shots and opens up a left hand to the chin, and he backs
off when Stirling starts to kick at him. Stirling lunges but misses
with a flurry, and he kicks the lead leg and backs off as the horn
blares. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Stirling

The fighters meet in the center of the cage, and Stirling leads off
with slapping kicks to the front leg and side. Erslan looks to sway
and avoid jabs, but Stirling still reaches him a few times. Erslan
looks for an overhand right counter when the kick comes, and
Stirling is wise to it and slides back in the nick of time. Erslan
wraps a right hand around the guard as Stirling is ducking, and
Stirling gathers himself and kicks a few more times to the lead
leg. Erslan plods forward behind his overhand right, and he clips
Stirling with one and does not care when Stirling hits him back.
Erslan lands a right hand, and Stirling steps in with a knee to the
body in a clinch. Stirling surprises Erslan with an uppercut, and
he eats a counter but did far more damage with his own blow.
Stirling fights behind his jab, and Erslan connects with an
overhand right. Stirling crashes the pocket looking for a single,
and he bullies the Croatian fighter to the fence. Stirling
transitions to a double, and Erslan tosses him aside and catches
him with a flush right hand. Stirling shakes it off and comes back
at him, only to get tagged with another right up top. Stirling
rails his opponent with a one-two that shakes Erslan to his core,
who shoots in for a single out of desperation. Stirling stops the
takedown attempt and smashes him in the face with an elbow. Erslan
is loving this, and he raises his arms in to the air to call on
more. Stirling obliges him with several more punches, and he knocks
Erslan down to his face. Philippeaux allows things to play out even
though Erslan face-planted, and Stirling punches his man in the
back of the head and then leaps on top looking for the finish. He
pushes Erslan to his back and starts bombarding him with punches,
stepping into mount and trying to punch his man out. Time expires
before Stirling gets the job done. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Stirling (29-27 Stirling) Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-8 Stirling (29-27 Stirling) Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (29-28 Stirling)

The first main card fight will be overseen by Dan Miragliotta.
Stirling takes the center. Tokkos eats a leg kick and struggles to
get into striking distance. The two exchange leg kicks. Stirling
works his jab and catches a body kick. Both men are staying
patient. Stirling is more active with jabs and leg kicks. Tokkos
eats a right hand and tries to charge forward but misses. Stirling
hurts Tokkos with a front kick to the gut. A nice knee lands for
Stirling. Tokkos is hurt and backing up into the fence. A thudding
uppercut lands for Stirling, and Tokkos goes to the floor. Stirling
lets his opponent up. Tokkos survives the round, but it looks like
he has nothing for his opponent. Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Stirling

Tokkos is coming out aggressive to start the second round. Stirling
working his jab well. Tokkos goes for a takedown attempt and grabs
the back of his opponent while standing. Tokkos is able to ground
Stirling but loses the position. Stirling lands a big knee that
hurts Tokkos. Standing elbows land for Stirling, who is just
leagues better on the feet than his opponent. Tokkos is eating body
shots. Stirling gets pushed into the cage by Tokkos, who is looking
for another takedown. Stirling is taken down but is able to get
back up shortly afterward as the round ends. Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stirling Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Stirling

Tokkos eats a big left hook. Stirling is the fresher fighter.
Tokkos goes for another takedown attempt and pushes Stirling into
the cage. Tokkos is deep on a double-leg attempt but loses it.
Stirling is now in control as they are clinched. Tokkos reverses
but is eating elbows as he attempts to get a takedown. Fans are
booing as this has been a dull round. They separate, and Stirling
throws a head kick. Stirling is letting his kicks go. Stirling eats
two slow leg kicks from Tokkos. A nice head kick from Stirling
hurts Tokkos. Stirling hurts Tokkos with a kick to the body. Tokkos
looks totally uninterested in fighting and then goes for a takedown
as the round ends. Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (30-27 Stirling) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (30-27
Stirling) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Stirling (30-27 Stirling)

Navajo Stirling

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary