UFC: Filipino fighter Mark Striegl gets knocked out in 51 seconds on debut by Said Nurmagomedov
- Striegl heads to hospital after suffering first-round TKO in opener on UFC Fight Island 6 prelims in Abu Dhabi
- Russian prospect Nurmagomedov catches ‘Mugen’ with counter left hook and improves to 14-2
Mark Striegl had talked this week of living a dream as he prepared to make his UFC debut.
But the Filipino-American “Mugen” (18-3) suffered a nightmare 51-second TKO against Said Nurmagomedov (14-2) in the bantamweight opener on Sunday’s UFC Fight Island 6 preliminaries. He was taken to hospital after the bout on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
The 32-year-old was quickly dropped after walking into a counter left hook from Nurmagomedov – no relation to the UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, but a dangerous 28-year-old prospect out Dagestan, Russia nonetheless.
Striegl went for a single leg takedown as he tried to recover but Nurmagomedov put him down again, this time flat on his back, with repeated punches to the head until the referee stepped in.
“I got him with a left hook and then he wanted to go to my legs and wrestle and then I just kept punching him until he fell and then I knocked him out,” Nurmagomedov said.
Striegl was the first representative of the Philippines to step into the Octagon since 2018 when Roland “Dy Incredible” lost to Shane Young at UFC Fight Night 132, joining the likes of compatriots Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, and current ONE Championship heavyweight champ Brandon “The Truth” Vera.