Today’s UFC Belgrade event was co-headlined by a highly anticipated light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Navajo Stirling.

Blachowicz (29-12-2 MMA) was returning to the Octagon for the first time since his majority draw with Bogdan Guskov at UFC 323 this past December. The former title holder has gone 0-2-2 over his previous four fights, suffering losses to Carlos Ulberg and Alex Pereira during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Navajo Stirling (11-0 MMA) was looking to keep his perfect record intact this afternoon in Serbia. The 28-year-old was most previously seen in action 6 weeks ago, where he scored a second-round TKO victory over Ion Cutelaba (see that here). Prior to that triumph, Stirling was coming off a TKO win against Bruno Lopes this past March.

Today’s UFC Belgrade co-main event resulted in a coming out party for the rising contender Navajo Stirling. The undefeated 28-year-old was able to rock Jan Blachowicz with a massive right hand early in the opening round and quickly proceeded to finish the former champion with some nasty punches and elbows. The impressive first-round finish improved Stirling’s undefeated record to 11-0 and puts him right into title contention at 205lbs.

Official UFC Belgrade Results: Navajo Stirling def. Jan Blachowicz via TKO (punches and elbows) at 2:56 of Round 1

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Blachowicz vs. Stirling’ below:

What a shot by Navajo!!

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 1, 2026

Brutal win, 11-0 for @navajostirling 👏

— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) August 1, 2026

Dang sterling just cemented himself as a contender

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) August 1, 2026

That’s a statement performance from Navajo Stirling

He’s the real deal

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 1, 2026

Navajo Stirling is the NOW. Gruesome finish. That’s a gnarly cut #UFCBelgrade

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) August 1, 2026

That was an overhand right missile from Stirling

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 1, 2026

Who would you like to see Navajo Stirling fight next following his first-round TKO victory over Blachowicz this afternoon in Serbia? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

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