At UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Korean Zombie on Sunday, October 18, stand out Phil-Am combat athlete Mark Striegl will be making his UFC debut at Fight Island. He had been scheduled to debut in August, but a positive Covid-19 test kept him away from competition.
Now fully recovered, Mark Striegl (18-2-1 NC, Baguio City, Philippines), SEA Games champion and highly successful veteran of MMA in Asia, will make his UFC debut against Said Nurmagomedov (13-2, Dagestan, Russia), a 3-fight veteran of UFC.
Mark was born in Japan and it was there that he began combat sports and gained a love for MMA. In Tokyo, he trained with the famed Wayjutsu Keishukai GODS Gym under champion Yuji Hoshino. Throughout his career so far, Mark competed in many Asian MMA promotions, including becoming the URCC Global featherweight champion.
Mark has been residing with his family in Baguio, but for his UFC debut, he has done his fight camp at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas with many UFC athletes as training partners. Of his UFC entry, Mark said,
“I’d like to thank Ruby Sports and UFC for getting me this quick turn around and opportunity after contracting Covid and having my original debut cancelled. I’m super excited to be fighting on October 17 at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. I know Said is a tough opponent, he’s a great fighter and this is going to be a war. I’ll be bringing my best.”
A few important points about Mark:
2X Far East Wrestling Champion (Japan)
4X Kanto Plains Wrestling Champion (Japan)
California State Pankration Champion
2019 Southeast Asian Games combat sambo gold medalist
Pro MMA record: 18-2-1 NC
14 wins by submission
12 first round finishes
URCC Global featherweight champion
Fight Game Asia 