Navajo Stirling was able to get the better of Tuco Tokkos in all three rounds tonight at UFC On ESPN 63 to win by unanimous decision.
Round One
Missed high kick fromm Tokkos. Stirling with a push kick to the body. Leg kick from Stirling is checked.
Body kick for Stirling. Now one lands for Tokkos. Leg kick from Stirling. Another body kick from him. Now jabs from Stirling as Tokkos keeps his guard high to deflect them.
Push kicks from Stirling. Now he steps into a more purposeful straight right. Tukkos with a push kick. Stirling stalking him now.
Inside leg kick for Stirling. Right hand gets through. Low kick from Tokkos but then stumbles backwards.
Stirling with more strikes. Tokkos seems uncomfortable. Knee from Stirling. Brief clinch but nothing comes of it.
Tokkos tries for a takedown but just slumps to his knees. He sluggishly works back to his feet. Tokkos already winded late in the first round and is repeatedly looking up at the clock to see how much time is left.
Round Two:
Jabs from Tokkos and then Stirling returns the favor. Stirling tries to sneak in an uppercut as Tokkos covers up. Tokkos goes in for a takedown and does get Stirling down, but he pops straight back up. Tokkos gets to his back and hoists him into the air looking for a takedown. It doesn’t work the first time but he does get his opponent to his knees the second time.
Stirling turtled up, but manages to escape and stand back up. Stirling with a good knee, but Tokkos tries to shrug it off. Stirling back on the attack. Tokkos survives that. He still looks very sloppy and labored when he tries to strike though.
Stirling looking to get back to work but Tokkos manages to get into the clinch against the cage. He gets around to Stirling’s back again. A minute left in the round. Crowd is getting impatient with him and boos. Tokkos does manage to get him down to his knees again. Stirling tries to stand and a bit of a scramble ensues, before he returns to his feet.
Winging punches from Tokkos. Big hook from Stirling just whistles over the target as the round comes to a close.
Round Three:
Leg kick for Stirling as Tokkos goes for punches. Grazing left hook for Stirling. Stepping jab from Tokkos. Good body punch for Stirling.
Another jab from Tokkos and Stirling does have a little cut to his right cheek, but it’s minor.
Tokkos drives into a takedown against the cage. Crowd booing as he continues to work for a single-leg, but Stirling defends and reverses the position.
They break apart. Right hook for Stirling. Now a punch to the body. He tries an elbow strike and another punch behind it, then clinches. Tokkos reverses the position and is trying to set up another potential takedown attempt with two minutes to go.
Stirling gets away and then comes straight back into close quarters with short strikes. Head kick attempt is blocked by Tokkos.
Body kick and a leg kick for Tokkos. Punches and a leg kick behind it for Stirling. Now a body punch. He tries for another head kick that’s blocked. A strike to the body seems to trouble Tokkos. Stirling targets the body again. Now a front kick to the midsection for good measure.
20 seconds to go and Tokkos goes for a desperate takedown attempt. It’s stuffed and they both end up on all fours with Stirling landing a few last ground-and-pound punches.
Decision:
Stirling controlled the striking action here against Tokkos, who had very sloppy stand-up technique and limited success with his wrestling attempts, leading to Stirling winning by unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
