After bout with COVID-19, Fil-Am Striegl to debut in UFC

October 6 ------ After his postponed debut, Mark ‘Mugen’ Striegl is now set to take his first step inside the UFC octagon. The 32-year-old Filipino-American fighter (18-2, 1NC) – whose fight got canceled last August after testing positive for COVID-19 – will face Russian fighter Said Nurmagomedov (13-2) in UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Korean Zombie on October 18, Sunday at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Striegl said he’s “super excited” to be fighting again. “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,” he said. Striegl was supposed to make his first UFC appearance in a Fight Night event against Timur Valiev, but he was forced to withdraw after contracting the coronavirus just days before the fight.

He was replaced by Trevin Jones, who knocked out Valiev in the 2nd round of their fight. Last December, Striegl successfully represented the Philippines as he took home the gold medal in the combat sambo event of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. The veteran Fil-Am fighter competed under different MMA promotions, including ONE Championship and PXC. He is also the reigning URCC featherweight champion. Striegl won his last 4 fights inside the cage before taking a no-contest decision against Shunichi Shimizu in April 2019. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, won 2 of his 3 bouts under UFC.

Source: rappler.com/sports