After linking up with the Evolve MMA fight team a fortnight ago, it seemed certain that the next step in Mark Striegl’s (13-1) surging career would be a contract with ONE Fighting Championship. And well, the deal has transpired.
On Thursday, prior to ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way, Striegl officially announced that he was a ONE FC fighter.
The 26-year-old became a free agent following a stint in the Pacific X-Treme Combat. Additionally, Striegl also enjoyed spells in Taiwan’s PRO Fighting league, URCC, Legend FC, DARE Fight Sports and MIMMA.
Once hotly tipped to be a member of the UFC roster, the Filipino-American starlet opened his MMA career account with 12 straight victories, triumphing over the likes of Bae Yong Kwon, former PXC champ Crisanto Pitpitunge, current ONE FC stars Ev Ting and Yusuke Kawanago and former Strikeforce vet Harris Sarmiento among others.
Suffice to say, the Evolve MMA native became one of the region’s hottest commodities in less than five years.
Striegl, though, suffered the first setback of his career at the hands of Jang Yong Kim in September, 2013, in a Featherweight title clash at PXC 39. The defeat left a bitter taste in his mouth, prompting a hiatus in his burgeoning career for 13 months.
He made his comeback this past October under the MIMMA banner. Dropping to 135-lbs for the first time, the grappling maestro won the fight via submission (for the eleventh time in his career) before joining the Evolve MMA fight team a little over two months later.
Striegl announced his intentions to continue fighting at Bantamweight as he looks to become just the second Filipino fighter to win a title in ONE FC. The Baguio-based fighter is expected to make his ONE FC debut at the turn of the year, and with reigning Bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes coming off yet another successful title defense at ONE FC 23, it looks like a potential challenger in the form of Striegl might just surface soon enough.
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