NITONG mga nagdaang buwan, lagi ng nababanggit ang pangalan ni reigning URCC Featherweight Champion at 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist sa combat sambo na si Mark Striegl kapag napag-uusapan ang Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Noong nakaraang Pebrero bago pa man magkaroon ng pandemya, sinasabing posibleng humantong at makalaban ang ipinagmamalaking anak ng Baguio City sa UFC.
“First and foremost, honestly, I can’t say I’m there just yet,” pahayag ng 32-anyos na mixed martial arts star sa Vodcast episode ng The Hit List.
Kasalukuyang nasa Las Vegas, Nevada si Striegl kung saan nakikipagsapalaran ito na makakuha ng UFC fight.
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“What happened is I was in Baguio during the quarantine, I was like a lot of people, I was getting some quarantine weight with my family. I was still training, of course, because it’s part of my lifestyle. So I’m working out every single day, put on a few pounds, and then I got a call from my coach, Coach George Castro who told me that Ruby Sports Entertainment if I can get to Las Vegas from the Philippines that there will be a very high chance that I get a UFC fight, especially during this COVID times,”salaysay ni Striegl.
Agad naman syang nagtungo ng Las Vegas upang magsanay sa Alliance MMA Gym habang nanunuluyan sa isang kamag-anak.
At umaasa syang matutupad ang matagal ng pinapangarap.
May nakatalang laban si Striegl kontra kay Timur Valiev (16-2) para sa UFC Fight Night event sa Apex Center sa Agosto 22.
Ngunit ayon kay Striegl, hindi pa ito ganap na nakakasa dahil wala pang kontrata.
“We’re waiting on an opponent and a date, but we’re in talks and should get one very soon. All that’s left is to sign the contract.”
“To be honest, always at the back of my head, I thought that it was a possibility, especially these days [when] I’m at my prime right now,” dagdag pa nito.
-Marivic Awitan
