Expect an invigorated Mark Striegl flashing his vintage brilliance when he sets foot on the ONE Championship cage against Bulgarian top gun SotirKichukov on Friday (December 2) at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“It will be a surprise come fight night. I’m excited to show everyone something they haven’t seen from me in a long time, I’m ready to go,” said the Fil-American MMA fighter.
Striegl (14-2), who was once hailed as the one of the best Asian MMA prospects, debuted with flourish in the ONE Championship in April 2015 by submitting American Casey Suire.
Few months after however, his road to glory got derailed by a disappointing submission loss to Fil- Australian Reece Mclaren.
But even if he was inactive from the cage for nearly a year, Striegl never turned idle as he hopped back and forth to Manila and Baguio for training. “It‘s been one year since my last fight, but I haven’t been taking it easy, I still train everyday and been waiting for my come back.”
He trains in Baguio’s Shape-up Gym with high-level boxers to enhance is stand-up skills and with Dave Galera, the first Filipino to fight in the UFC, at Gridlock Fitness Center. When in Manila, he sweats it out at Fist Gym with ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera.
Interestingly, Vera will headline the ONE: Age of Domination on Friday as he defends his world heavyweight title against undefeated Japanese challenger Hideki Sekine.
And through it all, there’s one constant training partner that Striegl would always rely on—his Under Armour gear.
“They are awesome. Super durable, great compression gears. You can feel the effect immediately. They are perfect fit for me and I’m very happy with them,” said Striegl, who admitted though that he has been a believer of the brand even before he signed as a brand ambassador nearly a year ago.
A devoted athlete like Striegl, who trains two to three times a day, could definitely tell the difference between Under Armour and other brands.
“In, MMA, training is pretty intense, there’s a lot of wear and tear. My running shoes, my compression gear of different brand will wear and tear overtime. Like I said, Under Armour is super durable and last longer and yeah it’s perfect for my training,” he explains.
With great training partners, Vera and Under Armour, Striegl is confident of getting back on track to his goal—winning the world championship. “That’s my goal, I want that to win a title for the Philippines. I want that strap.”
On Friday, he sees Kichukov as nothing but a stepping stone to win the world title. There’s no slowing Striegl down . “I’m good to go, can’t wait to get the win in Manila.”
