At a surface level, suggesting a fighter has UFC calibre potential when they're yet to even enter a cage probably seems utterly absurd. But in the case of Navajo Stirling, it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
The two-time King in the Ring champion is back in action as part of the card for Saturday's return of the iconic Kiwi combat showcase, headlined by its traditional eight-man eliminator - this time featuring the always-entertaining super heavyweights.
Stirling will face Australian Jessie Astill with the WKBF kickboxing heavyweight world title on the line in a fascinating feature bout at North Shore's Eventfinda Stadium, returning to the scene of his tournament triumphs at both light heavyweight and heavyweight.
The belt would be another valuable addition to the 24-year-old's ever-expanding CV, and perhaps more importantly, adding further credibility to his bid to follow in the footsteps of some of his KITR champion alumni teammates by making the transition to the world of mixed martial arts.
First drawn to the world of combat sports by irreverent Irish UFC former world champion Conor McGregor, Stirling has always harboured ambitions to make a push into professional MMA.
On a trip north to see his brother in late 2020, he tagged along with his brother to Auckland's world famous City Kickboxing and immediately clicked where he needed to be based to make those dreams a reality, and an endorsement from renowned head trainer Eugene Bareman quickly solidified those plans.
"Eugene was like - 'you just give me two to three years and you're there'," Stirling recalled. "I was thinking way longer than that so I was like 'wow'.
"That visit made me realise I should have been here ages ago. I went home with a mission and I pretty much boosted straight up to Auckland.
"When I got there and started training, I got up to speed really quickly and began to think 'this dream is no longer a dream'."
Later this month, Stirling will finally have his first chance to put his skills to the test in earnest, when he headlines regional promotion Shuriken's fight night against James Craughwell. Coincidentally, Stirling defeated Craughwell in the final of the heavyweight edition of the King in the Ring back in June to earn his second straight title.
Of course, most roads leading to the UFC are - at best - long and gruelling. But that trail from King in the Ring champion to the UFC has already been blazed by the likes of Israel Adesanya, Carlos Ulberg, and Blood Diamond - the very fighters he shares a mat with and has been holding his own against on a daily basis for the past 18 months.
And unlike many kickboxing converts before him, Stirling already has the benefit of three year's worth of grappling and jiu-jitsu, which is typically the steepest learning curve for any MMA hopeful with a stand-up fighting foundation.
He's competed - and been successful - in regional no-gi competitions, meaning there will be no sense of trepidation if and when a fight goes to the ground.
Working under Bareman's tutelage has been a revelation for Stirling. As most of his pupils will tell you, the famed coach's painstaking attention to detail is a huge part of what elevates him above his peers, and he's helped Stirling unlock skill trees he believes have allowed him to take his game to the next level.
"He'll make one slight tweak and it will open up a whole plethora of opportunities," Stirling explained. "It doesn't really feel like he's changing a lot, but then it just ends up helping so much.
"It makes you ask yourself 'why haven't I been doing this before?' That slight adjustment was all you needed to something that was blocking you from making a gain. Now that's opened and boom - you're up here now."
Bareman - who clearly has an eye for spotting talent - admitted he'd seen that special something in Stirling simply by watching him in the ring. After observing him closely on a consistent basis, Stirling's exceptional ability to learn and apply new techniques haved earned comparisons to his coach's most decorated student.
"He's a very fast learner," noted Bareman." He can be very comprehensive in a technique very quickly and in terms of the application, he can do it fast.
"I'm not going to say quite at the same rate as an Israel [Adesanya] who's a bit of a freak at that thing, but Navajo is up there."
While he tempered expectations for the "very talented" Stirling to make any sort of short-term quantum leap into the big leagues, Bareman admitted he's seen that degree of potential in the Upper Hutt native, which was on full display in both of his KITR victories.
A fixture for the past 11 years, Bareman described the tournament as being "at a very, very high international level", making it the ideal litmus test for aspiring Kiwi fighters.
And for all of Stirling's skills, the coach has almost been as impressed by the "massive sense of commitment and dedication" his fighter is showing at such a tender age, which he believes is arguably the hardest part of the battle to reach the sport's upper echelon.
"I've seen that he has a very good work ethic and the ability to just work hard and grind out the good days and the bad days with a greater goal in mind.
"It's not the fighting and stuff that breaks young guys. It's the repetitive pursuit of that, of perfection and getting better and upskilling and upgrading. It's tough to do that every single day. It gets repetitive. Some days you don't want to be there, some days you do.
"The thing that gets you to the top is just consistency. And that consistency is driven by just a very good work ethic and just dedication… I've seen signs of that in Navajo."
A rangey, measured striker with elite athleticism, Stirling seems to fit right into Bareman's wheelhouse. He looks like a character you might create in a video game, and funnily enough, Stirling applies similar create-a-character principles to his approach to his craft.
"When I think about fighting, I think of four personalities," he explained. "You've got your fighter, you've got your artist, you've got your athlete, and you've got your competitor.
"Each fighter out there has a bit in and all of those skill trees. I would like to say I'm not very big on one thing, but I have a lot and all four of those skill trees.
"I'm a very competitive person. I fight to win. I'm an artist when I'm in there, I like to construct my work. I'm also an athlete. I'm not the hardest puncher, but I hit hard. Not the fittest guy, but I'm fit and I'm not the fastest guy, but I'm fast. And then, I'm a fighter - I'll put my back on the ropes.
"If I have to go out of my shell, I'll bring it out there."
Both Stirling and his coach are content to be patient with his development. With so many prime years of fighting ahead of him, there's no reason not to be, and Bareman has a proven track record of knowing when the time is right to use his considerable and deserved clout with the UFC to recommend one of his fighters for promotion.
"The heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions are always searching for new talent and there's no reason why he can't be in the UFC if things go his way in the next two to three years, for sure," said Bareman. "But it has to be done correctly, putting the right processes in place.
"There's a long journey ahead but I'm confident if he puts his head down and does the work and follows the same blueprint of some of the other guys [Adesanya, Riddell etc], he can get himself the higher honours."
But if the brash and unapologetically self-confident Stirling is anything to go by, that moment will come sooner rather than later.
"I've been telling myself I'm not just going to be a good fighter. I'm going to be a superstar.
"I want all the pressure. I want people to put pressure on me. I know I'm made for this.
"This is attainable. This is right in front of my grasp, it's right in my hands to take. It's there. It's going to happen. It's inevitable. All I've got to do is just keep showing up and keep doing what I'm doing to get better.
"I know I've got a team around me that are going to keep me centred and I feel unstoppable at the moment."
