I AM bummed out. Bummed out by the loss of Mark Striegl to Chas Skelly this Sunday morning on UFC Fight Night.
Skelly, in perhaps his final UFC fight, struck Striegl with an elbow to the jaw, followed it up with some strikes, then hit him with a knee to the chin that dropped the latter.
Did I think Striegl would beat Skelly?
Yes, possibly. But when Skelly entered the Octagon, I thought, “Jeez, not only is he bigger but he looks freaking stronger.” Even the fight commentators took note of that.
Granted height and strength doesn’t mean one will one a fight inside the Octagon, it still helps. Plus, Skelly had a slight advantage in reach.
Though that advantage in reach did not help Brazilian Johnny Walker as he was knocked out by Jamahal Hill in the main event.
In the first round of the Skelly-Striegl fight, Mark did well to mix it up with his leg kicks and strikes. Skelly showed he can take a shot. When backed into the fence, Mark displayed some strength as well as dexterity as he got out of potential trouble. Although he was dropped into the canvas, Skelly was unable to inflict damage. In fact, I thought that Mark nailed him good with some shots.
Furthermore, Striegl showed once more excellent defense when backed up against the fence in the second round. But during close quarters combat—the same as in his loss to Said Nurmagomedov in his first UFC fight—the opponent found an opening that rocked him and led to a punishing finish.
After Mark Muñoz (14-6, 9-6 in the UFC), Brandon Vera (16-9, 8-7-0 and 1 NC in the UFC), Rolando Dy (14-11, 1-4 in the UFC), and Jenel Lausa (7-6, 1-3 in the UFC), there are only three Filipinos or have Filipino lineage in the UFC—Jordan Williams (9-6-0, 0-3 in the UFC), Ricky Turcios (11-2-0, 1-0 in the UFC) and Striegl (18-4-0, 1 NC, 0-2 in UFC).
I am bummed out because I wanted Striegl to get that first UFC win for himself. Like any other mixed martial arts fighter, it is their dream to fight in the UFC. That’s like going to the National Basketball Association, to the Premier League, to Major League Baseball, or to the National Hockey League. It’s the pinnacle of their sport. And Mark dreamt about that.
From the beginning, that was his dream.
Plus, he’s a good guy who deserves this.
I also wanted him to win for the Filipino MMA fighter. After Rolando Dy retired following his last loss in Brave Combat Federation, do we have anyone who is based in the Philippines fighting abroad?
Sure, we have the ONE Championship fighters and that is good. However, the best MMA organization in the world is the UFC. Anyone who says otherwise is smoking something illegal.
Of course, Striegl’s career isn’t done just yet. He has three more fights in the UFC under his current contract. We do know that the next fight is a make or break one. That time though is for the future. Right now, he needs to heal in mind not body.
The only consuelo I got out of the fight is that Jon Anik, the lead commentator for UFC Fight Night last Sunday, saw the three-part documentary I wrote and co-produced titled, Mark Striegl: The Road Back to the UFC. Anik, mentioned it during the broadcast thrice. And I sure got a kick out of that.
I previously wrote, co-produced and co-directed Glory Road: The Story of Philippine Boxing, a two-hour special that aired on Solar Sports more than a decade ago. I have also done so in a similar capacity for Fight! Fight! Fight! The Story of the Blue and White and The Drive for Five; a pair of documentaries about Ateneo sports and the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ “five-peat” in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. I have also done quite a few others for Gatorade Philippines and a few more for Solar Sports.
I was weaned on National Football League documentaries and was later inspired what ESPN was doing. I have dozens of DVDs and Blu-ray discs from MLB, the National Basketball Associatoon, Premier League and FIFA, the NHL and the UFC among others about sports stories.
As a journalist and a professional writer, doing documentaries, commercials and videos certainly complements my work.
Now I can’t wait to work on one when Mark Striegl picks up his first UFC win.