UFC Vegas 119's Navajo Stirling likens his fight IQ to AI

LAS VEGAS – Navajo Stirling doesn’t know what defeat inside the octagon feels like, and is planning on showing the world that he’s one of the best in his division.

At UFC Fight Night 279, Stirling (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) takes on Ion Cutelaba at the Meta APEX. It will be his second fight of the year, following a second-round stoppage of Bruno Lopes in March. Cutelaba (20-11-1 MMA, 9-10-1 UFC) has significantly more experience than Stirling, but the New Zealand product isn’t concerned.

When asked what he’s looking to prove in this fight, Stirling’s reply was confident, yet honest about the realities of fighting.

“That I’m the best up-and-comer at light heavyweight,” Stirling told MMA Junkie and other reporters at media day. “No one looks like me, no one fights like me, no one moves like me, or makes the decisions I do. I don’t make poor decisions in the cage. We see it all the time you know? Like, ‘What is this guy thinking?’ But I feel like I fight very smart.

“I’m able to match the intensity of the pacing of a fight – is something I always look at. Is this guy shooting a lot? Is he trying to grapple? Is he trying to move back? Is he trying to move forward? All those things are being processed in my mind. I’m like a robot in there or AI in there, you know? Just dissecting it down. I think I’ve got this guy’s number. It all doesn’t matter until we get in there. Things could go horribly wrong too, so I’m prepared for that.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Navajo Stirling: ‘I’m the best up-and-comer at light heavyweight’