By CARLO ANOLIN
Mark Striegl will be making his second comeback in the Octagon as he faces American veteran Chas Skelly in UFC Fight Night 201 at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Both Striegl and Skelly made their respective featherweight grades at 145lbs and 145 lbs.
The pride of Baguio, who was born In Tokyo, Japan, said he’s wary of the unpredictable fighting style of Skelly.
“He’s an unpredictable wild man. He has some wins where he goes out and throws out some crazy flying knee into a scramble and latches on D’arce choke,” said Striegl recently in an online media availability via TAP GO.
“So I have to be ready for the unpredictable elements and his fight styles. And just be ready. I don’t know which one’s gonna show up on fight night so I’ll be ready for both,” added the 33-year-old Striegl, who has an identical mixed martial arts record of 18-3 with Skelly.
Striegl hopes to make the best comeback possible as a way to redeem himself from the heartbreaking loss he suffered on his debut.
In his inaugural bout in the UFC, Striegl, a 2019 Southeast Asian Games sambo gold medalist, absorbed a first-round loss against Said Nurmagumedov last October 2020.
After that match, Striegl was initially scheduled for a comeback against Johnny Munoz Jr. last April but suffered an injury during training camp which forced him to sit out of the card.
While Striegl has been inactive for almost two years, the same goes Skelly, nicknamed “The Scrapper,” who last saw action in September 2019 with a unanimous decision victory against Jordan Griffin in UFC Fight night 158.
In the UFC, the 36-year-old Skelly has a 7-3 slate with one no contest decision since his first promotional bout in April 2014.
