Navajo Stirling is quick to admit the confidence he has in his abilities inside a mixed martial arts cage.

After a decorated kickboxing career, the 27-year-old light heavyweight has been just as much a force in MMA on his way to a UFC contract and a lopsided decision win in his debut with the sport’s biggest promotion.

On May 11 at UFC 315 in Montreal, Stirling (6-0; 4 KO) will finally get the challenge he’s been searching for, squaring off against Ivan Erslan (14-4; 10 KO) of Croatia.

“I think he’s just like real hardy. A hardy guy, in your face, and just real experienced,” Stirling told the Herald of the match-up.

“He’s obviously seen some elite-level fighters and it’s a bit of a test for me, I guess. I’ve always been a favourite every time I fight. I don’t know what the odds will be, but I’m just looking forward to finally fighting someone really, really decent.

“I gloat about myself a lot, but I just feel like I need the actual decent opponents now to just etch my name up there to potentially be one of the top prospects this year.”

The booking is a strikers' delight, with both athletes excelling in the stand-up exchanges and entering the UFC with plenty of fan interest behind them.

While Stirling got the win in his UFC debut against Tuco Tokkos after earning his contract through Dana White’s Contender Series, Erslan faced a much higher level of competition in his UFC debut, beaten in a split decision by former ranked contender Ion Cutelaba.

“I just want to let everyone know I’m like the real deal. He’s obviously really good; just getting a straight contract into the UFC against like a big name like Cutelaba - who’s on a tear right now,” Stirling said.

“It’s a good fight for me. I like the match-up. He’s a good dance partner ... I feel like it will be one of those really good low-key fights on the prelims or something.

“Wherever it ends up, it’ll be a banger.”

Stirling was hoping the match-up would allow him to show a little bit more of what he is capable of than his debut win last December.

While he cruised to a unanimous decision win, Stirling felt his opponent was not looking for ways to win the fight but was instead simply trying not to get knocked out.

Stirling showed in his appearance on the Contender Series that he has one-punch knockout power, but felt like his first UFC opponent might have bought too much into the hype that surrounded the young Kiwi prospect.

That was a key point when he and his coaches assessed his performance in that bout.

“It’s a little hard to explain because it was quite a few things, but it wasn’t really too bad because I did the main thing, which was keeping my distance and not getting taken down,” he said.

“I didn’t really need to create any chaos or anything there just to get a finish. You’re up on the cards every round, you don’t really need to create something if you don’t need to run the risk to lose. There’s that part of the argument as well.

“Although it wasn’t eventful, we came home with the win bonus and no real bad bumps and scrapes and finished 2024 with a massive year.

“It would have sucked to be winning a fight and then balls it up in the last round or something like that. There’s that thing that people don’t talk about us either.”

UFC 315 will be headlined by Australian Jack Della Maddalena, who will look to dethrone welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, while women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko puts her title on the line against Manon Fiorot in the co-main event.

UFC 315

Sunday May 11

Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.