UFC: ode to Baguio City’s fighting culture as Philippines-based Mark Striegl vows to bounce back from debut loss at Vegas 48

It took more than a decade for Philippine-based featherweight Mark Striegl to get his first fight in the UFC. It took exactly 51 seconds for it to end.

But if all those years in the cage have taught the 33-year-old one thing it’s you take your setbacks much like your successes in that your attention quickly switches to the next challenge.

“Definitely not the way I wanted to debut but life can be a roller coaster, especially in the sport that is MMA. It’s actually even crazier in MMA,” says Striegl. “So I just took that loss in my stride, focused on the positives and chalked it all up to life experience. At the end of the day it’s all part of the journey.”

The 33-year-old Striegl (18-3, one no contest) returns to the Octagon this weekend to face American Chas Skelly (18-3, one no contest) on the UFC Vegas 48 card out of the organisation’s Apex facility. The bout adds another chapter to what has been a wild ride across the past two years, one that has showcased the highs and lows of the sport, as much as it has life shadowed by the global pandemic.

There was the joy of being lifted out of regional promotions and being offered a UFC contract, in mid-2020. Then there was a positive Covid-19 test that ruled out Striegl’s scheduled debut in August of that year. There was that loss to Said Nurmagomedov (15-2), a fight the Russian ended with a short left, and a flurry when Striegl hit the canvas, in just under a minute. Then there was recovery from the damage inflicted as Striegl had his battered orbital socket rebuilt.

Striegl was back in the gym and ready to roll again in 2021 only to hurt himself in training And so the wait for a fight began once again.