The rumors proved to be true.
Mark Striegl (18-2) officially signed his contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship, Thursday afternoon (Manila time).
And the 32-year-old Filipino-American fighter will compete in just a few days as he is scheduled to face fellow newcomer Timur Valiev (16-2) on August 23 in the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs. Edgar at the UFC APEX Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It has been a long road for Striegl to the big league as he jumped from promotion to promotion for the last 10 years.
“I think with anything in life, anything you’re passionate about you have to keep trying. I’ve fought in so many promotions, I fought in ONE Championship, PXC, URCC, Legend, made my debut in San Diego, California in Total combat,” Striegl told Tiebreaker Vodcasts’ The Hit List, presented by SMART Sports.
“I fought everywhere but the UFC is definitely the promotion that has alluded me my whole career so definitely yeah, I’m here in Vegas to make that dream come true and to make this opportunity happen,” he continued as he traveled from Baguio City to Las Vegas alone two months ago.
“I got here and now I put myself where I need to be to seize this opportunity during these times. Everything is at it should be.”
Striegl, who will have to relinquish the URCC Featherweight Championship, will be competing in the bantamweight division.
“Bantamweight I always felt is my most competitive weight and it takes a little bit of discipline to get there but it’s not a problem.”
Just like what he has done all throughout his career, Striegl will be out there not just representing himself.
He vows that he will represent the country well both inside and outside the octagon. Just like what he did during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
“This opportunity on this stage, this grand and largest scale of stage, is something special and I wanna represent the best of my abilities, I can’t wait. I’ll be carrying our flag and I’ll be donning it proudly.”
