Overview
- Stirling finished Cutelaba with a referee stoppage 3:23 into the second round after the Moldovan slowed and absorbed sustained strikes on the fence.
- The win moves Stirling to 10-0 overall and 5-0 in the UFC, extending his run after a March stoppage of Bruno Lopes.
- Cutelaba started strong with early takedowns and submission attempts, but he faded in round two and could not stop Stirling’s comeback offense.
- Bookmakers and analysts had favored Stirling going into the fight, with lines of roughly -300 to -325, and many previews had predicted an early-to-mid fight finish.
- Stirling credits City Kickboxing training with fighters such as Israel Adesanya and Rob Whittaker for his development, and this victory tests whether he can now step into higher-ranked light-heavyweight matchups.