Hex Fight Series will return this Friday when they will be hosting a card which will have 2 title fights on the card. First up we will see the featherweight title on the line when Justin Van Heerden takes on 3-0 prospect George Mangos. Then in the main event, we will see another 3-0 prospect in Navajo Stirling to take on former PFL veteran Sam Kei. This fight will contest for the Light Heavyweight championship.
Before his upcoming title fight this Friday, Combat Sports UK was able to speak to Navajo Stirling. Combat Sports UK was able to ask him about his training camp and who he is looking to face in the future.
Navajo Stirling on Last Fight against Stu Dare
Navajo Stirling was able to compete last time out against Stu Dare back last month at Hex Fighting Series 30. During his fight against Stu, he was able to get the victory in the first round. This was due to knees and punches. I was able to ask Navajo Stirling about how his last fight went and what he has improved on since his last fight against Stu. Stirling responded by saying;
“That fight went great I was obviously ahead in terms of size, so it was a good playing field to work on my mma striking by being creative and trying new things.”
Navajo Stirling was able to get the victory and we can see that Stirling was able to test some things out during that fight as well. Navajo Stirling feels this was good to learn what worked and what didn’t work as he tried to improve overall. He feels the fight was good in terms of how he performed. Stirling will be hoping to show off what he has been able to improve on as well as any improvements that were made during the last fight.
Coming up against a Former PFL Fighter
When a fighter is progressing they are needing to stay active to keep improving. Another key factor is making sure each opponent is better than the fighter before and to try and fight fighters from bigger organisations. Sam Kei is just what Navajo Stirling is looking for. Stu Dare may not be coming in here on a winning streak since he has lost the last 3 fights. However, these fights came in the PFL.
The PFL has a lot of world-class fighters competing at the highest level. This includes Impa Kasangnay, Dakota Ditcheva and Liz Carmouche. Sam Kei is a fighter who fought under them in their regular season format. I was able to ask Navajo if being able to fight someone like Kei who has fought under the PFL will bring more attention and eyes to this fight. Speaking about this he was able to say;
“Yes I’ve been waiting for a decent opponent for a long time, everybody knows I’m at that level so now is a great time to show that, I want everyone to know who I am so I plan on making this hard fight look easy”
This shows that even though some fighters might play this fight down. This is due to Kei being on a 3 fight losing streak this isn’t the case here. Stirling believes in Kei’s ability to make this a difficult fight. Stirling is showing Kei respect while also stating that he is planning on being able to stop Kei. Not only does he believe he will stop this fight but he believes he will make this fight look simple which will increase his stock.
Navajo Stirling on His Training Camp
Training camp is always important in preparation for a fight. This is so they can make sure you have the correct game plan going in. I was able to find out if during fight camp Stirling has been able to see anything from Kei. Speaking about what he has seen Stirling responded by saying;
“From what I’ve seen he is a boxer trying to fight in mixed martial arts, so my plan is just to show off my whole set of skills I have to deter that limited skill set”
Navajo Stirling believes he is facing someone who isn’t an MMA fighter but a boxer. Stirling believes Kei is an imposter and he is going to prove this. Stirling uses all his skills to prove Kei is a out his depth. If Stirling can execute his gameplan then he will be able to get his hand lifted and become the light heavyweight champion in HEX.
How Does Navajo Stirling See This Fight Playing Out
I was able to try and get an insight into how Stirling sees this fight playing out. Navajo Stirling has said he is going to make this fight look easy and I was interested in seeing how Stirling intends on doing this. Explaining how he thinks the fight will go Stirling revealed;
“I would like to enjoy some more ringtime as I want more footage to show off my skill set to the UFC or anyone who wants to put an assessment on me. However in 5 rounds of playtime I do not believe I will see the decision”
Stirling wants to be able to get some more time in the octagon to be able to get more experience. So far in his career, he has been able to get a decision and 2 first-round finishes. Stirling is hoping he will be able to get more ring time to be able to show off his ability. He will be able to get more experience to be able to try and fight the best that there is to offer.
Pressure on Finding a Finish
Everyone is expecting a finish like Max Holloway got against Justin Gaethje. However, while everyone wants one this isn’t the case but MMA fans are expecting each time. With fans wanting this to happen every time this could create pressure on fighters. I was trying to find out how Stirling has been able to deal with the pressure. Explaining how he handles it Stirling said;
“I think about what I enjoy watching in a great fighter and go out there and do exactly that, I have a great fight IQ and have more stoppages in my career than anyone else I know on this side of the world. That is why people continue to follow me because I bring the fights people want to see whether it’s a scrap they’re interested in or a masterclass of skill I can do it all”
Stirling believes that while the fans may be expecting a finish they still get enjoyment out of the fight. This is because of his fighter IQ. Stirling believes his fighter IQ allows him to give the fans a fight they would like to see. This is either due to a masterclass of skill which he can show. If it is a scrap of a fight then the fans will enjoy watching them scrap it out.
Featured image credits to Embed from Navajo Stirling’s Instagram
