Navajo Stirling impresses on Dana White's Contender Series Week 5

Navajo Stirling made quite the statement with a highlight knockout on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

The 26-year-old improved to 5-0 in pro mixed martial arts and earned a UFC contract thanks to a second-round stoppage of Phil Latu. The pair of light heavyweights traded left hooks with Stirling’s landing first and flush.

Stirling trains with the City Kickboxing team in New Zealand alongside the likes of Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and fellow DWCS alumnus Carlos Ulberg.

A shining example of iron sharpens iron, Stirling is a promising prospect in the 205-pound division. 

He was one of only three fighters to receive UFC contracts from the organization’s president on Tuesday.

A scheduled lightweight bout between Quemuel Ottoni and Kody Steele was called off before the athletes made their walk to the cage because Ottoni withdrew backstage.

Laura Sanko reported on the broadcast that Ottoni withdrew from the fight backstage due to nerves. The fighter from Brazil reportedly spoke with UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby backstage after withdrawing, had his hands rewrapped before withdrawing a second and final time.

“Sometimes you don’t have to actually get in the cage to realize this isn’t for me,” White said.

White informed Steele he would be paid in full and rebooked later this year on a DWCS card.

Yousri Belgaroui holds a previous kickboxing win over current 205- and former 185-pound UFC champion Alex Pereira during their Glory days, and had multiple matches with former middleweight champ Adesanya in 2016, but the 32-year-old won’t be following in their footsteps in the UFC.

Belgaroui lost a decision to Marco Tulio last year on DWCS but made good on his second appearance with a third-round stoppage of Taiga Iwasaki. However, it wasn't enough to impress White and earn a contract. Belgaroui was deducted a point late in the second round for repeated eye pokes before coming out more aggressive and using a series of knees and punches to get the finish.

Undefeated bantamweights Otari Tanzilovi and Josias Musasa both showed why none of their previous opponents had been able to solve them. 

Georgia’s Tanzilovi, 26, is a training partner of Merab Dvalishvili and has been helping the No. 1 bantamweight contender prepare for his UFC 306 main event title fight at the Sphere this weekend. Dvalishvili was one of Tanzilovi’s cornermen on Tuesday.

Musasa, now 8-0, had never previously been to a third round but the 135-pounders ended up going the full 15 minutes. The talented 25-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo used a combination of forward pressure, takedown defence and boxing to get his hand raised.

White said he was impressed with Musasa’s potential despite thinking Tanzilovi had won the fight.

Montreal’s Corinne LaFramboise was scheduled to compete last summer on Season 7 of DWCS, but she was forced out of her bout when a pre-fight medical mere days before the competition revealed she was pregnant.

The new mother was unable to get her hand raised against Brazil’s Nicole Caliari in the opening bout of the evening. LaFramboise made a tactical error late in the opening round, leaving her arm exposed, and Caliari capitalized by locking in an armbar and forcing a verbal.

DWCS Season 8, Week 5 Official Results:

-- Navajo Stirling def. Phil Latu via knockout at 2:21 of Round 2

-- Yousri Belgaroui def. Taiga Iwasaki via technical knockout at 2:34 of Round 3

-- Quemuel Ottoni vs. Kody Steele cancelled (Ottoni withdrew)

-- Josias Musasa vs Otari Tanzilovi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

-- Nicole Caliari def. Corinne LaFramboise via submission (armbar) at 4:45 of Round 1

UFC contract recipients: Navajo Stirling, Josias Musasa, Nicole Caliari