By JAN CARLO ANOLIN
After recovering from COVID-19, Filipino-American Mark Striegl will finally make his UFC debut against Russian foe Said Nurmagomedov in their three-round bantamweight clash in October.
The 32-year-old Striegl was supposed to fight Timur Valev of Russia last August 22 but the bout was canceled on short notice after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The Striegl-Nurmagedov bout is set on October 17 at the UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and will serve as undercard for the main event UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Korean Zombie.
Striegl, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games sambo gold medalist, holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 18-2 (1 NC).
Riding on a four-match win streak, Striegl’s latest fight last April 2019 was declared no contest.
Meanwhile, Said, cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagedov, has a 13-2 slate.
The 28-year-old Russian lost his recent match last December via unanimous decision against Raoni Barcelos that saw him snap a seven-match win streak.
